Happy Sant Jordi (St George)!!. Today it's the best day ever to be in Barcelona, Catalonia (and I'm not there!).The streets are all full of stalls selling books and roses to celebrate Catalonia's saint patron.
According to tradition, for Saint George's Day we are meant to give a rose and a book, but Saint George had little to do with this ritual historically. It is known that he was a Roman soldier, made a martyr by the Romans themselves in the fourth century for not rejecting his Christian faith. The most popular legend in Catalonia concerning Saint George recounts that there was a terrible dragon at Montblanc (Conca de Barberà). To appease the dragon, lots were drawn to choose a person who would be given in sacrifice to the monster. One day, fate chose the king's daughter, who would have died at the hands of the beast had a knight not appeared who fought with the dragon and killed it. In principle, Saint George was a figure connected to knights and chivalry, a fact that would explain the custom of giving a rose on the saint's feast day. Some people claim this practice dates back to the Fira dels Enamorats (Lovers' Fair), held in Barcelona since the fifteen century.

The celebration of the day of the book is somewhat more recent. In 1930, the date was agreed to be the 23rd of April, the day Cervantes died, as well as being the date for two other universal writers, William Shakespeare and Garcilaso de la Vega. Other renowned writers either died or were born on this date, such as Josep Pla, Maurice Druon, K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. Later on, this festival of literature was declared World Book and Copyright Day by UNESCO. The decision was taken on the 15th of November 1995 at a general conference held in Paris.


Feliz Sant Jordi (San Jorge)!!!. Hoy es el mejor dia del anio para pasarlo en Barcelona, Catalunya (y yo no estoy alli!) ya que las calles estaran llenas de puestos vendiendo libros y rosas rojas para celebrar el dia del patron de Catalunya, Sant Jordi. Segun la tradicion, en el dia de Sant Jordi hay que regalar una rosa y un libro. Aunque Sant Jordi tiene muy poco que ver, historicamente, con esta costumbre. Se sabe que era un soldado romano que no renuncio a su fe cristiana y por ello fue torturado por los mismos romanos. La leyenda mas popular en Catalunya dice que un horrible dragon vivia en Montblanc (Conca de Barbera). Los aterrados ciudadanos intentaban apaciguar al dragon entregandole un sacrificio humano, escogiendo a la victima mediante un sorteo. Un dia la persona escogida fue la hija del rey, que hubiera muerto en las garras del dragon si no hubiera sido porque un caballero lucho contra el dragon y lo mato. Al principio Sant Jordi era una figura relacionada con caballeros y caballeria, hecho que vendria a explicar la costumbre de regalar una rosa en la festividad del santo. Algunos afirman que esta costumbre data del siglo XV, cuando una Fira del Enamorats (Feria de los Enamorados) tenia lugar en Barcelona en el mes de abril.

La celebracion del dia del libro es mucho mas reciente. En 1930 se acordo fijarla en el 23 de abril, siendo este el dia en que fallecio Cervantes, asi como William Shakespeare y Garcilaso de la Vega. Otros autores de fama reconocida que tambien fallecieron o nacieron en esta fecha incluyen Josep Pla, Maurice Druon, K Laxnes, Vladimir Nabokow y Manuel Mejia Vallejo. El 15 de noviembre de 1995, en una conferencia general de la UNESCO celebrada en Paris se oficializo la fecha, declarandola Dia Mundial del Libro y Dia Mundial del Copyright.


The weather today:
Partly Cloudy
12C
UV Index: 2 Minimal
Wind: From the West Northwest at 6 mph
Dew Point: 7C
Humidity: 73%
Visibility: Unlimited
Barometer: 1,024.7 mb