Diada de Sant Jordi

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Rose and book, an image from the Generalitat de Catalunya for Wikipedia
Book stalls on Diada de Sant Jordi in the Ramblas in Barcelona 2007

The Diada de Sant Jordi ( Catalan for Saint George's Day) is a festival celebrated in Catalonia on April 23rd in honor of its patron saint, Saint George .

The special thing about St. George's Day , compared to the celebrations in honor of the saint in other countries, is that since 1931 it has been merged with the then newly established World Book Day . All men are called to give a red rose to the lady of their heart , while women are called to give a book to the one they love. This custom is very popular, so on Sant Jordi many streets of Barcelona , especially the Rambla , are lined with numerous book tables . At the same time, red roses are sold, decorated with a bow in the colors of the Catalan flag .

On April 23, around 1.5 million books will be sold in Catalonia.

background

The legend of St. George grew after the victory over the dragon a rose bush from this blood shed. The dragon slayer broke a rose from the bush as a gift for the princess, which was previously intended as a sacrifice for the monster.

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Merten Wortmann: Instructions for use for Barcelona . Piper Verlag , Munich 2006, ISBN 3-492-27546-X , p. 128.
  2. The legend of Saint George. casabatllo.es; accessed on February 14, 2020