A dragon, a rose and a book
April 23rd is Sant George’s day, but it means something completely different in this city: discover how people in Barcelona celebrate Sant Jordi.
Book day
The legend of Sant Jordi tells us about a medieval knight, a damsel in distress and the killing of a dragon. A tale that made Jordi a saint venerated in the whole of the Catalan territory and also gave the locals a tradition everyone gets behind: to give your loved one a book on the day. Coincidentally, April 23rd is the day both Shakespeare and Cervantes died, so all the more reason for the books to be the absolute protagonists.
Bookstores and publishers go out on the streets and prepare their stalls to get books closer to their readers, and they also offer a discount, so you are more tempted than ever to buy those books you probably won’t have time to read until the summer. If you are living Sant Jordi as an ex-pat in Barcelona, you can’t miss going downtown and enjoying the day surrounded by thousands of people who are out to get the latest best-seller or that novel they've wanted to get their hands on for a while.
If you are the kind of person who worships authors, you will have the chance to get close to them. Writers sign books all day long in different locations, and you can meet them for a few minutes and maybe talk for a bit. But if you really want to celebrate Sant Jordi in Barcelona as a local, you can always stay in your own neighbourhood, go to your local bookshop, and Amazon be damned! In any case, it is a beautiful day to enjoy and celebrate spring.
Live Sant Jordi in Barcelona
Bookstores and publishers go out on the streets and prepare their stalls to get books closer to their readers, and they also offer a discount, so you are more tempted than ever to buy those books you probably won’t have time to read until the summer. If you are living Sant Jordi as an ex-pat in Barcelona, you can’t miss going downtown and enjoying the day surrounded by thousands of people who are out to get the latest best-seller or that novel they've wanted to get their hands on for a while.
If you are the kind of person who worships authors, you will have the chance to get close to them. Writers sign books all day long in different locations, and you can meet them for a few minutes and maybe talk for a bit. But if you really want to celebrate Sant Jordi in Barcelona as a local, you can always stay in your own neighbourhood, go to your local bookshop, and Amazon be damned! In any case, it is a beautiful day to enjoy and celebrate spring.
A rose is a rose is a rose…
When Sant Jordi killed the dragon, the spilt blood made a rose bush bloom with red roses, hence the tradition of giving a rose to those closest to you on April 23rd.
The original version of the tale was a bit too sexist and stated that women should give men a book and men should give women a red rose. That has fortunately changed, and now roses and books are everywhere, for lovers to give each other, children to give their parents, friends to share…Sant Jordi is the local equivalent to St. Valentine’s day, but much more democratic.
You won't have to walk far either: practically on every corner of the city, you will find someone selling roses, from the year-long florists to students trying to fund their graduation trips. They are wildly overpriced, but seeing how someone lights up after you have given them a rose, it’s just one of the best things to do in Sant Jordi in Barcelona!
If this is your first Sant Jordi in Barcelona, by all means, enjoy it! It is one of the year's best days for every Barcelonian, and you will probably never forget it. Love and books are in the air!
Find your room in Barcelona
The original version of the tale was a bit too sexist and stated that women should give men a book and men should give women a red rose. That has fortunately changed, and now roses and books are everywhere, for lovers to give each other, children to give their parents, friends to share…Sant Jordi is the local equivalent to St. Valentine’s day, but much more democratic.
You won't have to walk far either: practically on every corner of the city, you will find someone selling roses, from the year-long florists to students trying to fund their graduation trips. They are wildly overpriced, but seeing how someone lights up after you have given them a rose, it’s just one of the best things to do in Sant Jordi in Barcelona!
If this is your first Sant Jordi in Barcelona, by all means, enjoy it! It is one of the year's best days for every Barcelonian, and you will probably never forget it. Love and books are in the air!
April 23rd is Sant George’s day, but it means something completely different in this city: discover how people in Barcelona celebrate Sant Jordi.
Book day
The legend of Sant Jordi tells us about a medieval knight, a damsel in distress and the killing of a dragon. A tale that made Jordi a saint venerated in the whole of the Catalan territory and also gave the locals a tradition everyone gets behind: to give your loved one a book on the day. Coincidentally, April 23rd is the day both Shakespeare and Cervantes died, so all the more reason for the books to be the absolute protagonists.
Bookstores and publishers go out on the streets and prepare their stalls to get books closer to their readers, and they also offer a discount, so you are more tempted than ever to buy those books you probably won’t have time to read until the summer. If you are living Sant Jordi as an ex-pat in Barcelona, you can’t miss going downtown and enjoying the day surrounded by thousands of people who are out to get the latest best-seller or that novel they've wanted to get their hands on for a while.
If you are the kind of person who worships authors, you will have the chance to get close to them. Writers sign books all day long in different locations, and you can meet them for a few minutes and maybe talk for a bit. But if you really want to celebrate Sant Jordi in Barcelona as a local, you can always stay in your own neighbourhood, go to your local bookshop, and Amazon be damned! In any case, it is a beautiful day to enjoy and celebrate spring.
Live Sant Jordi in Barcelona
Bookstores and publishers go out on the streets and prepare their stalls to get books closer to their readers, and they also offer a discount, so you are more tempted than ever to buy those books you probably won’t have time to read until the summer. If you are living Sant Jordi as an ex-pat in Barcelona, you can’t miss going downtown and enjoying the day surrounded by thousands of people who are out to get the latest best-seller or that novel they've wanted to get their hands on for a while.
If you are the kind of person who worships authors, you will have the chance to get close to them. Writers sign books all day long in different locations, and you can meet them for a few minutes and maybe talk for a bit. But if you really want to celebrate Sant Jordi in Barcelona as a local, you can always stay in your own neighbourhood, go to your local bookshop, and Amazon be damned! In any case, it is a beautiful day to enjoy and celebrate spring.
A rose is a rose is a rose…
When Sant Jordi killed the dragon, the spilt blood made a rose bush bloom with red roses, hence the tradition of giving a rose to those closest to you on April 23rd.
The original version of the tale was a bit too sexist and stated that women should give men a book and men should give women a red rose. That has fortunately changed, and now roses and books are everywhere, for lovers to give each other, children to give their parents, friends to share…Sant Jordi is the local equivalent to St. Valentine’s day, but much more democratic.
You won't have to walk far either: practically on every corner of the city, you will find someone selling roses, from the year-long florists to students trying to fund their graduation trips. They are wildly overpriced, but seeing how someone lights up after you have given them a rose, it’s just one of the best things to do in Sant Jordi in Barcelona!
If this is your first Sant Jordi in Barcelona, by all means, enjoy it! It is one of the year's best days for every Barcelonian, and you will probably never forget it. Love and books are in the air!
Find your room in Barcelona
The original version of the tale was a bit too sexist and stated that women should give men a book and men should give women a red rose. That has fortunately changed, and now roses and books are everywhere, for lovers to give each other, children to give their parents, friends to share…Sant Jordi is the local equivalent to St. Valentine’s day, but much more democratic.
You won't have to walk far either: practically on every corner of the city, you will find someone selling roses, from the year-long florists to students trying to fund their graduation trips. They are wildly overpriced, but seeing how someone lights up after you have given them a rose, it’s just one of the best things to do in Sant Jordi in Barcelona!
If this is your first Sant Jordi in Barcelona, by all means, enjoy it! It is one of the year's best days for every Barcelonian, and you will probably never forget it. Love and books are in the air!
