Saint George’s day in Catalonia

Architecture Art Culture History Human Language Literature Travel

22.04.2021

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If you are lucky enough to be in Catalonia on the 23rd of April, you will experience one of the most beautiful and unique celebrations of this region, On that day, every year, Catalans celebrate “La Diada de Sant Jordi” (aka the day of Saint George) the day of the rose and the day of the book.*

Why Saint George?

Image credit: Saint George fighting the dragon

On April 23rd of 303, the knight George died after being martyred and beheaded under the rule of the emperor Diocletian. He refused to follow the emperor’s command to chase Christians, and for that, he was sentenced to death.

The knight was soon considered a saint, and many regions started to praise him. One of those regions was the Crown of Aragon, which included Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and some regions of current Italy. There is a legend that says Saint George appeared on the battlefield where the Aragonese were fighting the Muslims in 1096, and because of his encouragement, the Aragonese won the battle. Since then, Saint George became the patron saint of Aragon. Catalans proclaimed Saint George as his patron saint in 1456, but they were already devoted to the knight since the VIII century.

Why roses?

Historically speaking, roses have been related to the day of Saint George in Catalonia since the XV century. In that time, a fair of roses took place in the center of Barcelona on April 23rd, and husbands and fiancés would buy roses for their wives and brides to be. In fact, there was an official petition from the citizens to the local government asking to turn this date into a celebration, and in 1456 it was proclaimed that Saint George’s day would also be the lovers’ day in Catalonia. The tradition of giving roses already existed, and it just kept going until today.

Image credit: https://tienes-sal.ghost.io/un-sant-jordi-diferente/

Besides history, there is also a very special explanation as to why Catalans exchange roses on Saint Geroge’s day. A horrible and cruel dragon who could fly, swim and walk, was terrorizing a village (the Catalan legend says it was Montblanc, but other sources talk about the Capadoccia region). The villagers decided to give the monster some goods every day, and when they run out of things to give, they started to offer cattle. Eventually, the cattle ran out too — we all saw that coming. The only thing left to offer the dragon was themselves, so they agreed to draw a human sacrifice among the villagers.

The princess of the village had to pick up a paper with the name of one of the villagers, the one to be sacrificed. Ironically, though, she picked up her own name! When she was on her way to face the dragon, sure of her death, a knight on a white horse appeared. His name was George, and he was there to save the princess. He bravely fought the dragon and, finally, stabbed him with his sword. He asked the princess for her ribbon to put around the dragon’s neck and take the defeated monster to the village. Once there, George stabbed the dragon again, and from its blood, a rosebush full of bright red roses was born. The knight picked up the most beautiful one and gave it to the princess.

Image credit: The legend of Saint George, the princess and the dragon

Patriarchal stereotypes aside, this legend is one of the most important ones inside the Catalan culture.

Why books?

In 1929 the guild of booksellers declared April 23rd as the day of the book in Catalonia. And in 1995, UNESCO declared that same day the International Books’ Day. It is a very special date for literature because on this day in 1616 died one of the most important writers of history, Shakespeare. But that’s not all! The same day, of the very same year, Miguel de Cervantes was buried in Madrid.

During the XIX century, there was a huge cultural movement in Catalonia called Renaixença. This movement proclaimed and promoted the beauty and relevance of Catalan culture through its language, history, art, and literature, and it is key in order to understand the day of Saint George as we live it today. La Renaixença exalted the importance of Catalan traditions, and Saint George’s included in that exaltation. The intellectuals, artists, and writers of this movement forwarded this day as a day of patriotism and cultural vindication.

Image credit: https://xarxanet.org/cultural/noticies/com-explicar-de-manera-inclusiva-la-llegenda-de-sant-jordi

So, from the early XX century, the tradition settled for men to give the women they loved a rose, and women would give them a book on Saint Geroge’s day. With time this tradition expanded a bit and books and roses were not only exchanged between lovers, but also between friends and relatives regardless the gender.

On Saint George’s day, the streets of every town in Catalonia get beautifully filled with books and roses. The city of Barcelona dresses up with flowers, books stand, and Catalan flags to welcome the citizens and visitors on such a special day. Some of the most iconic buildings of the city, like Casta Batlló by Gaudí’s, cover their façades with thousands of red roses. And hundreds of people walk through Las Ramblas buying books, gifting roses, and eating Saint George’s bread.

Image credit: Casa Batlló by Gaudí (middle building) on Saint George’s day

Now that you know about this great tradition, either you are in Catalonia or not, don’t forget to gift the people you love with a rose and a book on April 23rd.

Feliç diada de Sant Jordi!!

*Catalonia isn’t the only region to celebrate this date. Many other regions in Spain, as well as in the rest of Europe, also celebrate Saint George’s day. In fact, this day is also very important in England, because Saint George is also their patron saint.

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