The day of saint george or sant jordi in catalan is known as the day of lovers and is usually compared to valentines day. In the modern times, both men and women give each other books and roses as they wish. Heres why this most romantic of literary traditions, credited with the origin of world book day, takes place. St george day, the catalan equivalent to valentines day. Sant jordi, or saint georges day is much more than a simple feast day in barcelona. Each year on april 23rd, the streets of barcelona fill with book stalls and red roses as lovers prepare to exchange gifts for sant jordi s day. Its the day that catalans celebrate their valentines day, and also a day to claim the catalan culture.
Aparthotel comtat sant jordi in platja daro, spain from. Sant jordi or saint george is the patron saint of catalunya. Join in, plan your own event and add it to the world map. The festival is a mix of traditions and customs going back to the middle ages. The catalan lovers day sant jordi saint george is the patron saint of. Making a revolution, creating new music and sending. For more information about catalonia and its cultural offerings, visit. It is one of the catalans most cherished national days, when people give books and red roses to friends and loved ones in celebration of love and literature.
It is a very popular festival that combines culture and romanticism, celebrating both world book day and valentines day. It is the catalan equivalent to valentines day and love is in the air. Travel virtually to spains catalunya region for sant. Only in the 1930s, women started giving men books, in celebration of the world book day. Sant jordi festival barcelona catalonia 2020 saint. So its popularly known the day of sant jordi as the catalans lovers day. As the catalans say, a rose for love and a book forever. The streets of all of the cities and all of the towns in catalonia are full of flower and book stalls and of people eager to give the rose and the book to. The story of the rose and its association with sant jordi dates back to the 15th century. The april 23 in ibiza is not only a day dedicated to the book, it is also the day of the patron of sant jordi, one of the main towns of the municipality with a full schedule of activities to not stop for a moment for weeks. Each year, the streets are filled with people strolling around grasping books and roses wrapped in ribbons in the colours of. This day thousands of couples in love celebrate the romanticism that inspires this celebration and invites us to fill with gifts every year. The sant jordi day is celebrated on 23rd april, which is the date in the year 303 on which saint george of cappadocia died.
Visits are dramatised and characters such as sant jordi himself, the princess and fourteenth. Despite this, the streets are packed with people, strolling along, exploring the stands and enjoying the atmosphere. Sant jordi in catalonia in catalonia, the 23 rd of april coincides with being the day of sant jordi, which is the day of the book, the rose and of lovers. Why is the world book day celebrated on the 23rd of april and what is it. People are learning to live in this way trying to enjoy as much as they can and making the most out of it. Saint georges day, also known as the feast of saint george, is the feast day of saint george as celebrated by various christian churches and by the several nations, kingdoms, countries, and cities of which saint george is the patron saint including england, and regions of portugal and spain catalonia and aragon.
Our story features sant jordi, a dragon and, of course, a princess. Give a book and a rose, share the essence of an this old sant jordi tradition from barcelona catalonia. Jordi s day celebration will take place on july 23, 2020, after stayathome orders are removed. George is apparently a pretty popular saint, because aside from being the patron saint of england. One of the holidays customs is that men give women a rose usually bright red while women give men a book. The origins of sant jordi as patron saint of catalonia the image everyone has of sant jordi is the result of legend, according to which jordi, before becoming a saint, was a roman soldier who had been born in palestine at the beginning of the 3rd century ce, the son of gerontios and polychronia. The card is basically a book containing a 3d rose inside. And although catalonias official 2020 celebration of books and roses has been rescheduled to take place on july 23, catalans have taken it upon themselves to celebrate sant jordi at home on april 23. On the day of sant jordi in barcelona as in all of catalonia people give one another a rose or a book. Along the years, it been consolidated as an traditional and emotional feast in which lovers a rose and a book exchange. On the day of sant jordi the streets are filled with books, roses and people walking around.
Sant jordi s day falls on april 23, which is also international book day. The central elements of this celebration are culture and love, in addition to the dragons who are represented on this day with traditional gifts. Beyond the holiday that is celebrated always on april 23 rd, is a catalan legend about the victory of the knight jordi in his battle against a dreadful dragon which killed every living over catalonia. As sant jordi, otherwise known as saint george, is one of the patron saints of catalonia, it is considered a very important day in our country and holds romantic significance similar to that of valentines day. On this day, it is custom for couples to exchange gifts. As this has been postponed this year, cultural events of all kinds will take place on april 23rd so that we can live the holiday from home. And what better time to enjoy your book friends, and perhaps, make new ones. Sant jordi, is patron saint of catalonia since 1094 and is for the catalans, the protective hero who defeated the dragon and saved the princess, symbol of victory over evil. The key elements of this day, dedicated to the patron saint, are culture and love, represented by the book and the rose. Stuck at home due to the coronavirus lockdown, inhabitants of spains catalonia region kept up st. This is why many balconies in the city are decorated with the senyera, the catalan flag. Sant jordi saint george is the patron saint of catalonia, whose festival is celebrated on april 23. Every year on 23rd april, the unesco world book day, catalans celebrate their patron saint, sant jordis day saint george.
Booksandroses celebrate 23 april worldbookday with. Jordi s day became catalonias love holiday, which is celebrated by the exchange of roses and books among lovers and friends. It is a very similar celebration to valentines day in the. We will discover why it is customary to give your loved one a rose and a book on the day of sant jordi in barcelona.
Unesco apparently thought this was a pretty awesome idea too and decided to make april 23rd world book day in the 1990s. Another tradition occurs during the spring festival day of sant jordi st georges day, 23 april, in which men give roses mostly in a deep red color to women, and women give a book to men as a present. Dear henrik, i will be delighted to write a few words about the two hotels, son sant jordi and can reus. To follow the sant jordi s day celebrations around the world and on social media, visit booksandroses. San jorge is the patron saint of the hundreds of people in catalonia and. Jordis day, as explained by an americanisraeli jew. In actual fact cervantes death was 10 days earlier, because spain was using the gregarian. The main event is the exchange of roses and books between sweethearts, loved ones and colleagues. Sant jordi is held on the same date as world book day, set by unesco in 1995, which is also the same day that the deaths of cervantes and shakespeare are commemorated.
Both authors died on the same day on 23rd april and in the same year of 1616. Sant jordi in english, saint george is the patron saint of catalonia, aragon and the balearic islands. In catalonia the world book day becomes an especially romantic festivity. Participants have access to literature from a broad range. It is one of the most original celebrations in catalonia and takes place in spring, on 23 april. Sant jordi s day in barcelona is celebrated on april 23, and the legend about sant jordi, the dragon and the princess is reborn from its ashes every year to invade barcelona. The idea for celebrating this day originated in spain where on 23 april is st georges day sant jordi or khdus giyorgis, the patron saint of catalonia. The main meeting point in barcelona is the rambla, which is packed from end to end with book and flower stalls. Georges day, also known as sant jordi, takes place on 23 april and celebrates the patron saint of catalonia. Targeta sant jordi scrapbook tutorial dragon rose book. In catalonia the day coincides with the popular festivity of sant jordi.
The people in catalonia celebrate the day of their patron saint, sant jordi, with a curious tradition. We enjoyed the superior room in the main building and the easy walking distance to the lovely old city centre. According to tradition, on this day it is customary to give the gift of a book to men and a rose to women. Men started giving red roses to women in celebration of love in the fifteenth century.
Catalonia celebrates st jordi s day with books, roses and. And as i say, when you have books, you have friends. On 24 april, borough market hosts a sant jordi event noon4pm with the help of newham bookshop, enabling londoners to enjoy their own literary st georges day. Hospital workers carry roses at the hospital clinic on saint georges day sant jordi, as the spread of the coronavirus disease covid19 continues in barcelona, spain, april 23, 2020. Celebrating saint jordis day in catalonia more time to. Scooter rental mallorca rent a bike mallorca ciclos mora. This day, as a very traditional custom in catalonia, all men give a red rose to women as a present, and women give a book to men. Sant jordi s day, april 23rd, is a very important date in catalonia.
Sant jordi is also the day of the patron saint of catalonia. On sant jordi it is also celebrated the day of the book. Saint jordi nyc is hosting 24 hours of sant jordi nyca free three day festival of events from catalan, spain, livestreamed in english. In addition, april 23rd is the world book day that was declared by unesco in 1995. Sant jordis day since midfifteenth century, on april 23 is celebrated every year in catalunya saint jordi.
If you want to know what its about, its origin and how to enjoy this day, please carry on reading. Sant jordi, the day of the book, the rose and of lovers. For sant jordi, its a tradition to give each other books and roses, symbols of culture and love. Nevertheless, following the death of the dictator, the day regained its characteristic. Georges day traditions on thursday with roses on balconies and book sharing online. It is rare to find today a hotel where guests are treated with such warmth and courtesy. Thus cities like barcelona become transformed into an enormous openair bookshopflorists, full of. The most important day, civicallyspeaking, for catalonia, sant jordi, has always been a normal working day, never a public holiday. Since that day, just like in many other countries, people started living their lives in a completely different way. Sant jordi in barcelona is a catalan traditional day represented by books and roses, a romantic festivity in the city for locals and tourists. Over the years, it has become a traditional and emotional feast in which lovers a rose and a book exchange. In years past, throngs of visitors traveled to barcelona and its surrounding region of catalunya catalonia to experience sant jordi s festival, a combined celebration of love and literature.
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