Sant Jordi, the Day of Books and Roses in Catalonia 2026
Crowded streets, flower and book stalls, couples celebrating love, searching for the year's bestseller, book signings... You probably know what we're talking about! It's one of the most beloved and favorite traditions of Catalans: Sant Jordi. And what a beautiful tradition we have in Catalonia! Although traditionally it's said that a man gives a rose to his girlfriend and she gives a book to her boyfriend, the truth is that today it's all about celebrating open love and Literature Day. But why do we give roses and books on April 23rd?
Well, as Catalan legend tells us, in the town of Montblanc lived a dragon that terrorized the town, devouring livestock and people. In order to contain it, it was popularly decided that a villager would be sacrificed by lottery and offered to the dragon in exchange for peace for the town. One good day, or bad day depending on how you look at it, it was the princess's turn, who would have died at the hands of the dragon if the knight Saint George had not arrived in time to kill the beast. From the blood that flowed from the dead, sword-wounded body, a rose grew, which the knight gave to the princess. But beyond this fable, the fact is that the 23rd was the day the knight Jordi died, becoming a martyr for refusing to kill and persecute Christians and punished by beheading.
Furthermore, the origin of this literary holiday is linked to a fair organized by the Barcelona Publishers and Booksellers Guild to promote reading during the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, which was a huge success. The initiative was moved to April 23rd, a date that coincides with the deaths of two great authors of world literature: Shakespeare and Cervantes.
Want to know a fun fact? UNESCO declared April 23rd World Book and Copyright Day thanks to the significance of the Catalan Day of Sant Jordi.
Related events
