April 23rd is Sant Jordi Day here in Catalunya. This day is only celebrated here in Catalunya, so it is a big deal. I know I have written about the books and roses before, but each year I learn a bit more about the legend of Sant Jordi.
Back in medieval times there was a Catalan village who had to deal with a ferocious beast of a dragon. The dragon lived right outside the village walls and had to be fed, otherwise he would eat one of the villagers. Each day the people of the village would take food to the dragon. A spare hog. A sick chicken. Leftover stew. A dead bird, perhaps. This dragon ate everything in sight and eventually the people ran out of food to give to the dragon. The king decided that someone had to be sacrificed for the good of the village. Everyone wrote their name on a small piece of paper and these were placed in a box, which was taken to the king. Imagine the king's surprise and horror when the name he drew was...the princess. That's right, his very own daughter. Gasp! Now, the princess was a brave girl and she was ready to take one for the team. She marched out towards the dragon as the king cried. She reached the dragon and was preparing herself to be his next meal when a knight rode up on a beautiful white horse. The knight slayed the dragon with his sword and the dragon bled to death. His blood lay in a puddle and strangely enough, a rose bush with shockingly red roses began to instantly grow. Sant Jordi gave one of the roses to the princess and rode off to carry on with his adventures. The village was saved and from that day forth, the day was known as Sant Jordi Day, where all the men of the village would give a rose to their loved one.
Fastforward to modern day and the day is huge festival here in Catalunya. La Rambla is full of florists and the day is also el dia de los libros in the rest of Spain, so that is where the book tradition began. More books are sold on this day than all other days combined, so you can imagine the frenzy on La Rambla as people walk from table to table buying flowers and books. The entire city is packed and it is difficult to get anywhere. It is basically the Valentine's Day of Catalunya, times 10 (because we take holidays and festivals to the next level here in Catalunya!)
My Sant Jordi Day was fantastic, though Rory was in Belgium. We left for school a few minutes early, knowing there would be a bit more foot traffic. Eston purchased roses for his teachers and Aurelia was not about to be left out, so she bought roses for her teachers as well. The teachers were absolutely delighted as it is such a fun day of love and friendship.
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