The day of Sant Jordi in Barcelona: books (no guns) & roses!
Sant Jordi in Barcelona is one of the most beautiful days to visit the city. It is a big tradition and one of the most respected by the Catalan people. On the 23rd of April, the streets of Barcelona fill up with stands where you can buy books and roses to give them to the people you love. It creates a beautiful atmosphere and even at work, it is common to make these gifts between employees. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we won’t be able to celebrate as usual. But we have found a way to keep it alive and help fight the disease! Keep reading to learn how, and discover where the tradition comes from. In this week’s post, The Touring Pandas tell you all about Sant Jordi!
The Legend of Sant Jordi in Barcelona
Sant Jordi (Saint George in English) is the protagonist of a legend originated in the Turkish Capadocia. Once upon a time there was a small town whose habitants lived in terror because of a hateful dragon. Every week, the dragon would go out of its cave in search of food. The people in the village were forced to sacrifice their animals and fed them to the dragon. Otherwise, the terrible creature would destroy their homes and farms. The story repeated every week for years, until the small village ran out of animals to feed the monster. In order to avoid a complete devastation, the community had to make a painful decision. Every week, a family in the village would be chosen to sacrifice one of its members to the beast.
When the day came, something shocking happened. Destiny put it that way: the princess, daughter of the king, was randomly picked to be fed to the dragon. Many of the knights in the village offered themselves to replace the princess and save her from her fate. But she, in an act of honour, declined their offers and said it was her who had to follow the way that fortune had set. Thus, the next morning he said goodbye to the king and queen with tears in her eyes and made her way to the main square. Shortly after, she saw the dragon in the sky, flying towards her. She felt scared and closed her eyes, waiting for her death. Instead, she heard a horrifying shriek of pain. She opened her eyes to see a knight in front of her, and from his arm a long sword stuck deep into the dragon’s belly.
The beast fell on the floor and a pool of blood started covering the dust, from which a bright, red rose grew. The mighty kinght was Sant Jordi, and from that moment he became the defendor of the village and was honored for the years to come.
The Day of Sant Jordi in Barcelona
Sant Jordi is celebrated every 23rd of April. It is a tradition with deep roots in Barcelona, and Sant Jordi is one of the patrons of the city. The legend is so popular in the local culture that it is very common to find dragons and icons of the Saint in many buildings. But you need to keep your eyes open: they’re not easy to find!
La Rambla becomes specially crowded on the day of Sant Jordi in Barcelona. The boulevard is packed with stands in which you can buy books and roses. Traditionally, men give a rose to women, and women give a book to men.
In the last years, one of Barcelona’s most famous buildings has become very popular on the day of Sant Jordi. Casa Batlló, one of Gaudí’s most famous houses, covers its facade with roses to celebrate this popular tradition. The facade of Casa Batlló is beautiful by itself, but on the 23rd of April it is just breathtaking!
Roses to fight Covid-19
Sadly, this year Sant Jordi will be very different. As you may have heard, Coronavirus arrived in Spain, and Barcelona is currently in strict lockdown. We won’t be able to go to the streets to buy books and roses for our beloved, but by missing it, we’re working together on the recovery. We all have to make an effort and stay home, so that we can come back stronger and celebrate Sant Jordi again next year. But that doesn’t mean we can’t still celebrate our most popular tradition! The Barcelona Tourist Board has launched a campaign to send a digital rose and fight against Covid-19. You can purchase an online rose for 1€ and send it to whoever you love. The benefits of this campaign will go to the hospitals of Barcelona, to help them fight the disease. Buy your online rose now and help Barcelona recover!
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