In our household, Saint George has always been thought of as an English saint. After all, his red cross on a white background is the English flag and, consequently, adorns many sport-related paraphernalia. In Catalunya, he - as Sant Jordi in Catalan - is even more venerated. For starters, it seems like the most common name in Barcelona. Even in our small circle of acquaintances, we know seven Jordis! As the patron saint of Catalunya, his feast day on April 23 is a major public holiday.
Here's the legend, as it has been explained to me: A dragon was burninating the countrysides, and the peasants were offering up virgins as sacrifice. The beautiful princess tells her father that, out of responsibility for the realm, she will volunteer herself. The distraught king offers half of his kingdom to save her. Sant Jordi happens to be riding by and courageously goes forth to slay the dragon. The blood spilling from the stab wound turns into a rose. Sant Jordi gets the girl, they get hitched, and they live happily ever after.
In Catalunya, this romantic story also gets entwined with two other significant events that happened on or near Sant Jordi's feast day. In 1616, these were tragic days for literature. William Shakespeare, whose famous works include the star-crossed lovers of Romeo and Juliet, died on April 23 in England. His Spanish counterpart Miguel Cervantes, whose classic novel Don Quixote follows the title character's chivalric adventures dedicated to his lady love Dulcinea, died on April 22.
They all come together in the Catalan holiday. The tradition is for a man to give a rose (honoring Sant Jordi) to the special woman in his life, and for a woman to buy a book (honoring the authors) for the special man in her life. Nowadays these definitions have expanded to include, not just romantic partners, but your mother, father, sister, or brother. Such a popular holiday, of course, has not escaped commercialism. The streets are absolutely packed. Every charity, school club, or organization sells roses, and every bookstore opens outdoor stalls with discounted books. To sweeten the deal, many stores host famous authors who will sign your new book... if you're willing to wait in the interminable lines. We saw a lectern set up on one pedestrian street, where a succession of folks were participating in a marathon public reading of Cervantes's weighty tome. There is even a growing number of bakeries and pastry shops advertising Sant Jordi cakes (another variation on the sponge cake and cream so omnipresent in Spain) and breads (striped in alternating red sobrassada sausage and yellow cheese to mimic the Catalan flag). It's fantastic!
For some reason, the rampant commercialization of this particular holiday doesn't bug me like Valentine's Day in the States. Maybe it's because there is no pressure to anticipate and prepare for the holiday beforehand. The expectation is that roses and books will be bought on April 23 - which explains why Rich was perplexed to be the only customer in a bookstore earlier in the week - and there is no excuse for forgetting on that day because it's impossible not to see or hear the festivities. Maybe it's because even a hefty mark-up on roses, with only a single one to buy, still only amounts to a few euros. But let's face it... anything that encourages widespread reading will always be ace in my book!
They all come together in the Catalan holiday. The tradition is for a man to give a rose (honoring Sant Jordi) to the special woman in his life, and for a woman to buy a book (honoring the authors) for the special man in her life. Nowadays these definitions have expanded to include, not just romantic partners, but your mother, father, sister, or brother. Such a popular holiday, of course, has not escaped commercialism. The streets are absolutely packed. Every charity, school club, or organization sells roses, and every bookstore opens outdoor stalls with discounted books. To sweeten the deal, many stores host famous authors who will sign your new book... if you're willing to wait in the interminable lines. We saw a lectern set up on one pedestrian street, where a succession of folks were participating in a marathon public reading of Cervantes's weighty tome. There is even a growing number of bakeries and pastry shops advertising Sant Jordi cakes (another variation on the sponge cake and cream so omnipresent in Spain) and breads (striped in alternating red sobrassada sausage and yellow cheese to mimic the Catalan flag). It's fantastic!
For some reason, the rampant commercialization of this particular holiday doesn't bug me like Valentine's Day in the States. Maybe it's because there is no pressure to anticipate and prepare for the holiday beforehand. The expectation is that roses and books will be bought on April 23 - which explains why Rich was perplexed to be the only customer in a bookstore earlier in the week - and there is no excuse for forgetting on that day because it's impossible not to see or hear the festivities. Maybe it's because even a hefty mark-up on roses, with only a single one to buy, still only amounts to a few euros. But let's face it... anything that encourages widespread reading will always be ace in my book!
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