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) 

La Diada de Sant Jordi Lovers Day

23 RD April...

a date for the diary

A day for love....

April 23rd, Saint George's day, La Diada de Sant Jordi,

Barcelona's Valentine's day,

a day when kissometer readings go off the charts,

a day so sweet and playful, so goofy and romantic,

that 6 million Catalans go giddy from dawn to dusk.

Patron Saint of Catalonia, international knight-errant Saint George allegedly slew a dragon about to devour a beautiful princess south of Barcelona.

From the dragon's blood sprouted a rosebush, from which the hero plucked the prettiest for the princess.

Hence, the traditional Rose Festival celebrated in Barcelona since the Middle Ages

to honor chivalry and romantic love,

a day for men and mice alike to give their true loves roses.

In 1923, the lovers' fest merged with International Book Day to mark the anniversary of the all but simultaneous April 23, 1616 deaths

of Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare.

Over four million roses and half a million books are sold in

Catalonia on Sant Jordi's Day,

men giving their inamoratas roses and the ladies giving books in return.

Bookstalls run the length of the Rambla, and despite the fact that April 23rd is an official workday,

nearly all of Barcelona manages to play hooky and wander.

La Diada de Sant Jordi Lovers Day

In Barcelona and all of Catalonia, Sant Jordi's day erupts joyfully.
The spring air is sweet and filled with promise. Lovers are everywhere.
There is a 24-hour reading of Don Quixote. Authors come to bookstalls to sign books.
In Sarrià a floral artisan displays 45 kinds of roses representing 45 different kinds of love, from impossible to unrequited to filial and maternal.
The sardana is reverently danced in Plaça Sant Jaume,
while the Generalitat, its patio filled with roses, opens its doors to the public. Choral groups sing love songs in resonant corners of the Gothic Quarter while jazz combos play in Plaça del Pi.
The Rambla is solid humanity from the Diagonal to the Mediterranean, two miles of barcelonins basking in the warmth of spring and romance.
Rare is the roseless woman on the streets of Barcelona, schoolgirls to avias (grandmothers), all aglow with bashful smiles.
By midnight, the Rambla, once a watercourse, is again awash with flower water and covered with rose-clippings and tiny red-and-yellow-striped ribbons with diminutive letters spelling
"Sant Jordi," "Diada de la Rosa," and "t'estimo" ("I love you").

love & light

Trace

oxo

La Diada de Sant Jordi Lovers Day

23 RD April...

a date for the diary

La Diada de Sant Jordi, also known as el dia de la rosa (The Day of the Rose)

or el dia del llibre (The Day of the Book) is a Catalan holiday held on 23 April,

with similarities to Valentine's Day

and some unique twists that reflect the antiquity of the celebrations.

The main event is the exchange of gifts between sweethearts, loved ones and respected ones. Historically, men gave women roses, and women gave men abook to celebrate the occasion—"a rose for love and a book forever." In modern times, the mutual exchange of books is also customary. Roses have been associated with this day since medieval times, but the giving of books is a more recent tradition originating in 1923, when a bookseller started to promote the holiday as a way to commemorate the nearly simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and William Shakespeare on 23 April 1616.Barcelona is the publishing capital of both Catalan and Spanish languages and the combination of love and literacy was quickly adopted.

In Barcelona's most visited street, La Rambla, and all over Catalonia, thousands of stands of roses and makeshift bookstalls are hastily set up for the occasion. By the end of the day, some four million roses and 800,000 books will have been purchased. Most women will carry a rose in hand, and half of the total yearly book sales in Catalonia take place on this occasion.

To the world you may be one person,
but to one person you may be the world.

- Bill Wilson -

The sardana, the national dance of Catalonia, is performed throughout the day in the Plaça Sant Jaume in Barcelona. Many book stores and cafes host readings by authors (including 24-hour marathon readings of Cervantes'

"Don Quixote"). Street performers and musicians in public squares add to the day's atmosphere.

23 April is also the only day of the year when the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona's principal government building, is open to the public. The interior is decorated with roses to honour Saint George.

The ancient Crown of Aragon, the Feast of St George is celebrated enthusiastically in the Community of Aragon,

being the country's patron saint and its national day.

On 23 April, Aragon celebrates its "Diya d'Aragón" (Day of Aragon) in commemoration of the Battle of Alcoraz

(Baralla d'Alcoraz in Aragoneese), on which Huesca was conquered by the Aragonese army

and in which tradition says that

St George appeared at a critical moment for theChristian Army, aiding them to win it for the "True Faith".

As in Catalonia, roses and books are exchanged among individuals, often bearing ribbons with the colors of Aragon's flag.

If you notice someone's face is
Looking rather low
Come along beside them
And let your caring show

Place your arm around them
And give a little squeeze
There's nothing like a hug to
Give the heart some ease!
~ Jennifer Byerly ~

We sat side by side in the morning light
and looked out at the future together.

- Brian Andres -

When you love someone,
all your saved-up wishes start coming out.

- Elizabeth Bowen -

England

St.Georges Day

A traditional custom at this time was to wear a red rose in one's lapel,

though with changes in fashion this is no longer common.

Another custom is to fly or adorn the St George's Cross flag in some way:

pubs in particular can be seen on 23 April festooned with garlands of St George's crosses.

St George's Day is celebrated by the several nations, kingdoms, countries,

and cities of which Saint George is the patron saint.

Most countries which observe St George's Day celebrate it on 23 April,

the traditionally accepted date of Saint George's death in 303 AD.

This day is May 6 for Eastern Orthodox Old Calendarists, who use the Julian calendar.

What Is It That I Love?

If asked why I love her I would say
It’s the sway in her hips,
the thickness in her thighs.
It’s the lust in her lips,
the love in her eyes.
It’s the softness of her skin,
the silk in her hair.
It’s the twist in her walk;
it’s the sweetness in her talk.
It’s the way she loves me
that makes me love her each day.
That is what I would say.

- Justin Hutchins -

What is a hug?

A hug is something special
A hug can give such joy
A hug can bring a little smile
To every girl and boy
A hug can say a thousand words
Without a single spoken one
A hug can put things right again
When everything seems wrong
A hug can be a lovely thing
It doesn't have to contain a touch
A hug can be on paper
The word 'hug' just means so much
So I'm sending you a special hug
Not physical, it's true
But this hug is sent to let you know
I think the world of you
~ Yvonne Lowther ~

LOVE & LIGHT

Trace

OXO