Lover's Day - 23rd April ~ Give A Book & Rose

 Diada de Sant Jordi or Saint George's Day

Lover's Day is celebrated in Barcelona and Spain. 

On the day of Sant Jordi in Barcelona - as in all of Catalonia - people give one another a rose or a book. Not only couples do this. The Generalitat in Plaça de Sant Jaume is open to the public. In the palace and around it there is a large rose market. Books are available everywhere.

Sant Jordi: Day of the Book and the Rose

Documents show that the tradition of giving away roses as a symbol of love on the day of Sant Jordi, dates back to the 15th century, even though the exact date is not known. Furthermore, why this day is the day of lovers and Sant Jordi has become the patron saint of lovers is not known with certainty. In the most famous legend of Saint George he didn’t marry the princess - although he released her from the dragon - as the moral of this story was Christian baptism rather than love, according to the legend.

Source and Legend HERE

In 1926 Spain declared the 23rd April, the anniversary of the death of Miguel de Cervantes, the most famous Spanish writer, as Book Day, which coincided with the day of the feast of Sant Jordi. This led, however, to mean that Book Day was hardly celebrated. Only much later did the day of love also became a day of literature in the mind of the population.

Miguel de Cervantes. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra was a Spanish novelist, poet, and playwright. His magnum opus, Don Quixote, considered to be the first modern European novel.

Date and literary connection ~ England remembers the 23rd of April as the death of Shakespeare.

Some countries have their own versions of Lover's Day. Brazilians for example, celebrate Lover's Day, also called Dia dos Namorados, on June 12.

Lover's Day is also known as National Lover's Day in the US.

In 1995 UNESCO declared 23rd April as World Book and Copyright Day. This was to acknowledge that the book has historically contributed most to the spread of knowledge. The proliferation of books is a cultural enrichment throughout the world.

love and light,

Trace :o)