![]() He fought against the dragon and killed him with his lance. When the terrific dragon was going to swallow her, a brave knight in a white horse appeared. The destiny had decided and, with an immense feeling of sadness, the king let the beautiful princess go. The problem came when the chosen person was the king’s daughter. Trying to find a solution, the village inhabitants came up with the idea of sacrificing one person every day, chosen by drawing lots. However, he ate a lot, and the city ran out of animals to give to him. All the citizens were terrified and decided to feed the dragon to calm his anger. The Catalan version tells that, a long time ago, a terrible dragon was terrorising the small village of Montblanc, nearby Barcelona. The legend of Sant Jordi is truly a fairytale of a beautiful princess, a knight in a white horse and a horrific dragon. He was executed for his Christian beliefs, becoming a martyr and a saint among Christians. Each country has its own version of this legend, but it is believed that all of them come from a soldier born in Greece around the year 280 AD. Saint George is also the patron of many other countries, such as England, Greece, and Romania. He became the symbol of Catalonia during the 19th century when the cultural and political movement known as Renaissance reclaimed the signs of Catalan identity. The history behind Sant Jordi The legend of Sant JordiĬatalans celebrate Sant Jordi’s day to commemorate the death of Saint George in the year 303 AD. On average, 4 million roses and 500,000 books are sold in Catalonia every year! Most of the roses given are red, according to the tradition, but over the last years, you can find them in all kinds of colours, even a rainbow multicoloured one! The roses are typically wrapped in ribbons in the colours of La Senyera (the Catalan flag) and come together with a spike of wheat. The streets of most Catalan cities are full of book and roses stalls. Of course, there’s no need to pander to stereotypical roles in the age we’re living in! If you feel like getting your boyfriend a rose and your mum a book, go ahead!Ĭouples walking hand-in-hand and people giving red roses to their beloved ones are some of the typical scenes during this spring day. The tradition is that men give a red rose to all the significant women in his life, be they lovers, mothers, daughters or colleagues, while ladies give men books. We could say it’s the Catalan equivalent to Valentine’s Day! George), and celebrate love and literature. It’s a day to honour Catalonia’s patron saint, Sant Jordi (aka St. La Diada de Sant Jordi (The Festivity of Saint George) has arrived. On the 23rd of April, Catalonia dresses in red. Go see some of Barcelona's buildings decorated with roses.Stroll through stalls full of book and roses.
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