Sant Jordi Festivity
Photo: Marisabel. License: CC BY-NC-ND
The festivity of San Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia take place on the 23rd of April. On this day, men traditionally give a rose to their beloved and in return receive a book. It has become increasingly popular and is treated as a special day, and it also coincides with the International Day of the Book.
On this day, the streets of Barcelona turn into outdoor bookstores and flower shops with many booths all over the city. Also, this is a good day to visit Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya, a historic palace and the seat of the Catalan government, for it opens its doors all day for visitors.
Photo: Oh-Barcelona.com (Flickr). License: CC BY
The peculiar origin of this fetivity is a mixture of different-time traditions:
Regarding the rose giving, there is a story that says there was a dragon to which people would make offerings, such as lambs and even other people, to appease its anger. The people that were supposed to be offered to the dragon were chosen in a raffle. One day the king's daughter turned out to be chosen one, so the king offered his daughter's hand in marriage to the one who would save her and kill the dragon. A knight called Jordi faced the dragon and killed it with his sword. From the dragon blood shed, a garden of roses grew and the knight gave the most beatiful one to the lady.
As for the book, the 23rd of April was chosen the International Day of the Book, commemorating the deaths of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare.
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