Celebrate Saint George's Day in Barcelona

Sant Jordi (Saint George) is Patron Saint of Catalonia & England

Sep 30, 2009

Saint George's Day is not much celebrated in England but in Catalonia April 23rd is colourfully celebrated in a tradition which honours nation, literature and love.

Saint George’s Day celebrations in England have been largely reduced to wearing a red rose in the buttonhole, but in Catalonia the day is enthusiastically celebrated as men and women exchange gifts, balconies are draped with the red and yellow striped Catalan flag and the streets are filled with book stalls and flower sellers. It’s a day that combines all the best elements of Saint Valentine’s Day in the English speaking world and the national pride of a patriotic people.

The Legend of Saint George and the Symbol of the Red Rose

Saint George is the patron saint of a number of countries, regions and cities throughout the world. The real man was born in Turkey to Christian parents, but became a soldier in the Roman army. He protested against the persecution of the Christians by the Romans and was eventually imprisoned, tortured and beheaded.

There are many versions of the legend of Saint George and the dragon, but the basic elements are that George fought and killed a dragon, thus saving a town from the dragon’s tyranny and, in the process, the life of a princess who was to become the latest of a series of sacrifices aimed at pacifying the beast.

Versions in the chivalric tradition have the drops of blood shed by the dragon transformed into red roses, which the knight, Saint George, picks and presents to the princess. The symbol of the red rose is therefore central to Saint George’s Day celebrations in Britain, and also in Catalonia. In Barcelona the ‘Day of the Rose’ has been celebrated since the middle ages.

UNESCO World Book Day

In 1926, Barcelona booksellers began the custom of commemorating the death of Spanish author Miguel de Cervantes by giving a rose in exchange for each book sold on that day.

In 1995 UNESCO named April 23rd World Book Day, in honour of the deaths on that date in 1616 of two giants of literature – the Spanish Miguel de Cervantes and England’s William Shakespeare.

In fact, the dates coincide only because two different calendars were in use at the time – Spain had adopted the new Gregorian calendar, whereas England still used the old Julian calendar.

Present Day Celebrations in Barcelona

In Barcelona today these ideas are combined in a exchange of gifts between men and women, in which women are supposed to receive roses in return for the books they give their men. Flags are draped over balconies in a celebration of national pride, and from mid morning onwards the streets fill with bookstalls and flower sellers as people enjoy shopping for and exchanging their gifts. Roses sold range from expensive bunches to the emblematic pairing of one red and yellow, to represent the colours of the Catalan flag, with an ear of corn, one of Catalonias national emblems.

The main focus is on the famous Las Ramblas and the Passeig de Gracia, which fill with people until late into the evening, but quieter more romantic celebrations take place all over the city, particularly in the local squares which are the focus of most social events in older neighbourhoods such as Gracia, with people meeting on the terraces of cafes and bars to eat, drink and exchange gifts.

The copyright of the article Celebrate Saint George's Day in Barcelona in Spain Travel is owned by Ruth Arundell. Permission to republish Celebrate Saint George's Day in Barcelona in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.