April 23rd is the International Book Day, and Cataluña has a particular way of celebrating it. It is called Sant Jordi. All day long, book stores invade the avenues of cities and towns, holding a sale where you can find your favorite authors or maybe discover new ones. Due to the good spring weather, people just go out and enjoy walking through culture. This tradition dates back to the 15th century!
In the streets you will find stalls with books but also stalls with red roses. Why is that? The tradition dictates that women should give a book to their men, and men should offer a red rose to their significant other. This rose is often accompanied by a branch of wheat. This gift symbolizes exclusivity of his love for her, since it is just one rose and not a bouquet. It also symbolizes passion, for its color is red; and the wheat symbolizes fertility.
Some people also dress up as dragons, knights or princesses, since Sant Jordi is a catalan hero who saved a princess from a dragon in the 11th century. People celebrate fantasy and the triumph of the good over the evil.
And this is me last year, enjoying my rose. I miss this day so much! Let's celebrate it in Fort Smith! Who is going to give me a rose? I would also appreciate a book! ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment