April 23rd is Barcelona’s version of Valentine’s Day and is full of flowers, books, trinkets, love, and friendship! In Spain, this special celebration is called DĂa de Sant Jordi or St. George’s Day in English. It takes after the traditional fairytale: there was a dragon wreaking havoc on the inhabitants of a Catalonian city, so its citizens sacrificed people every day to try to tame it. The king’s daughter was chosen to be sacrificed, but Sant Jordi — a handsome knight — stabbed the dragon with his sword, and red roses spilled from it. It is a custom now to give a loved one a rose on April 23rd. But how do the books fit into this? Well, William Shakespeare died on April 23rd, 1616, so it is considered World Literature Day. Catalonian culture decided to mix the two together and have a day full of red roses and books!Â
I was lucky enough to participate in DĂa de Sant Jordi by walking around the Gothic Quarter and seeing all the great finds. Barcelona was absolutely packed on this day, and I was very excited to experience the festivities! There were hundreds of booths selling roses, books, keychains, magnets, jewelry, and many other goodies. Since I live in a pretty touristy area, the streets were full and lively. It made my heart happy to see so many books out and about, and even though I did not end up purchasing one, I had a blast looking around all the booths. I think this is a holiday that should be celebrated everywhere around the world. I mean, who wouldn’t love getting a rose or a book from someone they love?! DĂa de Sant Jordi reminded me of how little activities and parts of my life — like reading! — can be special, fun, exciting, and meaningful for myself and others. If you are looking to incorporate a new tradition or holiday into your life, I highly recommend researching and think of adding DĂa de Sant Jordi to it! It was a day I will never forget, and I wish everyone could experience it as I did.Â