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Next: 23 Apr 2027

Sant Jordi

On St George's Day, Catalonia exchanges roses and books, and the streets fill with stalls of both.

St George's Day in Catalonia
Photo: Generalitat de Catalunya, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

What happens

Saint George is the patron of Catalonia, and his day, 23 April, is the Catalan day of lovers. In the legend a rose bush grew from the blood of the dragon he killed, and the knight picked a rose for the princess. The custom is to give a red rose, and to give a book in return or alongside. The rose comes with an ear of wheat and a ribbon in the red and yellow of the Catalan flag. Millions are sold in a single day from stalls along the Rambla.

The flowers

RoseA single red rose, the gift of the day.

Also part of it, and being written: Wheat (One ear of wheat is wrapped with each rose.).

About this page

Original text by the Phool desk, written with AI assistance. Background: "Saint George's Day in Catalonia" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from family to family and place to place. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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