St George’s Day in Catalonia coincides with World Book Day and is an opportunity for Catalans to honour their patron saint and show their love of culture
In Catalonia, on Saturday, a record-breaking number of books are predicted to be sold as Catalans, like the English, celebrate their patron saint, St George (known here as Sant Jordi). A walk through any Catalan square will quickly land you in literary heaven: piles of books stacked high on tables with readers thumbing through the latest releases, in search of the perfect book for their loved one – and that’s not mentioning the six million roses for sale. With 1.5m books sold last year, grossing €20m, the Catalan publishing industry predicts an increase of up to 6%.
According to legend, Sant Jordi slayed a dragon to save his princess. From the pools of the beast’s blood grew a single red rose. “Traditionally, boys give girls a flower and girls give boys a book,” says editor-turned-Podemos politician Mar Garcia Puig. “Fortunately, we have evolved and now girls also receive a book.” Catalans have been exchanging books for roses for around 90 years, but after Unesco declared 23 April World Book Day in 1995, they began buying books on a mass scale.
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