Sant Jordi Day and Book Day: what is the relationship between both celebrations

Every April 23, the streets of Barcelona are covered with roses and book stalls that lovers give to each other. The thing is that for Sant Jordi’s Day, a kind of second Valentine’s Day in some areas of Spain, this tradition was established due to the coincidence with Book Day. But what is the origin of Sant Jordi?

Around the 10th century, the story of Saint George began to be transmitted, who would have killed a huge dragon to save his lover. From the blood of the beast, the myth says, a rose bush grew from which the knight took a flower to give to his beloved. That is why in Catalonia the saint is considered to be the patron saint of the community and of lovers.

The traditions of Sant Jordi

In honor of the gentleman Jordi, every year in Barcelona red roses are given that represent love and passion. Although couples can give them to each other, the man is expected to give a flower to his partner. But that is not the only custom of the holiday. The balconies and fronts of the houses are decorated, in addition to red roses, with the senyera -or señera-, a flag with four red and five yellow stripes.

In addition to the traditional patron saint’s day, in the 1920s the writer Vicent Clavel and Andrés proposed a date to promote reading: the chosen one was October 7 in commemoration of the birth of Miguel de Cervantes. But the historiographic inaccuracy sowed doubts regarding the date of birth of the author of Don Quixote and the anniversary was moved to April 23, the date of his death.

Due to the coincidence of dates, the Catalans began to combine different aspects of two celebrations, giving rise to what is practiced today for these anniversaries. The Sant Jordi festival attracts a large number of tourists who come from all over the world to live the experience firsthand.