Saint George's Day







Saint George's Day is the day of the patron saint of Catalonia, the streets filled with roses, flags and books.
Catalans give a rose to people who love.
This day is full of  culture and traditions of its people.


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Articles


Jump to contents: Articles | Short Points | Videos

Short Points

Many have published articles in Help Catalonia in our few months of existence, and we asked them to briefly answer what Saint George's Day is for them. These are their short points.


This year I won’t go home as long as there is a single street market of books open in Barcelona. Not without the autograph of my favorite writer. I want to impregnate with the colors of the senyera, the buzz of the crowd and the perfume of roses and spring.
Pilar Perez, economist (@lilithsafo


How many nations in the World flood their streets with books and red roses?
We Catalans do it for Sant Jordi to show how much we love and respect the culture and beauty of life.
Maria Nunes, philologist, professor of language and literature (@mnunssal
The Catalans share our patron saint, St. George, with the English, the Greeks and others. Legend has it that George, a valiant knight, slayed a fiercesome dragon to save a beautiful damsel. Today, our dragon is oblivion, and we work so hard to continue as a people that April 23rd isn't even a bank holiday!
Miquel Strubell, @mstrubellRead my previous articles


 Sant Jordi is the day where you have to book your lunch or dinner time to jump to the street and walk looking at books with your couple and exchange the book and the rose. Because Sant Jordi in Catalonia is the day for giving and receiving culture and roses to the people you love and the people that loves you Anna Simó, Minister of Wellfare (2003-2006)n@AnnaSimoaSimo)
For me Sant Jordi is not only the patron of Catalonia, that would be something very simple to say, for me Sant Jordi is a celebration day for people in love, not only with your partner, but also with your land, your language, your people, your country, for we have lived and live upstream, located in the wrong place, full of oppressions, rejection, and that's why lots of us think that the most important thing is the independence of our country.
On Sant Jordi: a rose at home and a catalan flag on the balcony, symbol that someday we will be able to say we have a CATALAN STATE
Jordi Roca, journalist  @roquiniroquini

Catalans feel true love for the festivity of Saint George, patron saint of Catalonia. Year after year we wait impatiently the arrival of one of the popular and civic events that embody our national spirit. Language, culture and tradition intertwine, offering everybody a beautiful show of fraternity, patriotism and sensitivity. An convenient exercise of self-esteem in these difficult times in which intolerance of Spanish nationalism conspires once again against our ancient language.
Isabel Helena Marti,,@IsabelHMarti)Blogvice president of Sobirania i Justicia   @sijcat
For mi, Sant Jordi is the great celebration of civility. On April 23rd, everything and everyone seems soaked in this thing that Buddhists would call good karma. All of this expressed with books and roses, to show love, respect and recognition
David Montserrat, journalist (@dmontserratnonoRead my previous articles
For me, Sant Jordi is a day with a double meaning:
Is a day for the family: the fact of mutually giving a book or a rose is a symbol of family (or couple) union and reinforcement. For me, family is the foundation of society.
It’s a day for Catalonia: the book symbolizes the Catalan culture, a culture that claims its place in this world.
Both things, for me, make this day the pride of being Catalan (for having been able to resist Spanish attacks) and at the same time, a vindicative day (we haven’t enough having arrived here, we want to go further).
I could summarize it in two words: self esteem and vindication.The streets are full of roses and books street markets decked with senyeres (the Catalan flag). We give roses, buy books. Which day is it? Lovers day? Books day? As well. We celebrate love and culture. Is Sant Jordi’s day, in Catalunya
.
Enric Sànchez, IT (@duxans)
Sant Jordi is the day where the ingredients that identify us are together: the epics of our history, the legend of the Catalan Nation hero, the love for the spoken, written and sang culture, that are, all together, banner of our free country.
Cheers!! 

Faèrica Rock Band @FaericaRock)
Read my previous articles
Since I was a student in college, St. George has a special meaning for me: book covers, the smell of roses, sun (sometimes rain and clouds), the colors of the Ramblas and the people... Later, besides these primary feelings, came the claim for our language
Joan Badia i Pujol, Deputy Director of Permanent Education and Pedagogical Resources  (2004-2006), Director of Innovation (2006-2009), Deputy Director of Academic University Planning  (2009-2010), Deputy Director of European Higher Education (2009-2010) (@jbadiap)Read my previous articles
We celebrate the homeland with the feast of our country’s Saint Patron, Sant Jordi, an historical character, gallant, fighter and brave, an example for Catalans.
We celebrate too the feast of the book, that is, ultimately, the feast of our language, Catalan, inseparable from the way we are, and
We celebrate love, towards our couple, family, friends and country. It’s impossible to find a more complete day for a Catalan.
Núria Feliu, singer@fansnuriafeliuFacebook, nuriafeliu.cat, Video

In Catalonia, Sant Jordi (Saint George) is a festivity – not a public holiday – where streets are full of people, books, roses… of students and readers meeting the writers. It’s probably our most popular national holiday. It’s a magical day.  
Josep Bargallo,    Vice president Catalan GovernmentRead my previous articles
For me, Sant Jordi is a very special day. It represents the National Day, in capital letters, of the future country that soon we will have. Is a happy day, along with the spring sun, full of flowers and full of books, that reflects the soul of a country that loves the life in the street, the nature and the culture, all together without losing the historical roots and old legends. A jewel I invite you to enjoy from my little European country
Carme Teixido,  @almogatenPresident of @araomai
TeSant Jordi is the Patron Saint of Catalonia as Saint Patrick’s is for the Irish people.

Axel Vilaseca,  @axvilaseca

This year the Catalans sayENOUGH! (diemPROU!). Soaked with the Knight’s nerve, we start the path to reach an independent Catalonia, respected abroad. We’ll do it pacifically, replacing the sword by a rose and a book. Long live Sain George Day!
Andreu i Maria,   (@diemprou)

Sant Jordi is, for me, the day I celebrate my homeland, my culture, my language, love, cheerfulness.
It’s a beautiful day to share with those you love, no matter if they’re your couple, friends or relatives.
The senyeres are everywhere, wrapped with roses and books.
Happiness 
Alma Martinez, business manager (@briennededarthbriennededarth)
Sant jordi is a unique festival, heritage of Catalonia, and distinguishing sign of our Nation. Is the day of lovers, the book and the rose. The center of any town in Catalonia fills with stalls selling books and roses, and very, very early, people hurry looking for roses and books as gifts for their beloved ones.
Manel Rodríguez Plana, economist (@manelrplana)
The alarm sounds and we wake up early, it's time to go to work, but that day we do it happily. Saint George, patron saint of Catalonia, is not a local holiday, and this makes a small country become bigger. Early in the morning we found roses everywhere, people selling or buying them, people who wants to give them. Books, lots of books to buy and read, and also to give. In Barcelona, everybody is working, but the streets are full of people. Roses, books and catalan flags, it's April 23rd, Saint George, patron saint of Catalonia..
Joan Mañas, 


Sant Jordi are streets decked with books and roses. Is a pride and alive country. The day of the catalan lovers, that make us imagine that a Catalan in love gives roses and books. It has culture and gentleness to give away.


Oriol Duran, Journalist @Odtor

Is there anything more romantic than being given the most beautiful flower from the one that loves you?
Is there anything more beautiful that telling the one you love, you love him in the shape of a book full of words, words he wants to read?
Barcelona Rambles are full of lovers, holding hands. She grabs a rose, no matter the age… I would do anything to see my grandfather bringing a rose to his beloved one. How do I miss it.
In Sant Jordi day, you know that you will arrive home at night and he, as a good Catalan, will be waiting with the most beautiful rose he could find… you will arrive at work in the morning and your boss will be waiting with a rose for you and for your workmates.
And the final prize on this writing and who is it written for:
My son, who, every Sant Jordi, makes me in the school the most beautiful rose I’ve ever seen.
Rosa Tella,  (@rosapich)

For me, Sant Jordi would be a possible day to choose as National Day. 
Obviously when we become independent, Independence Day will be our National Holiday, but this day
could be St. George; we can not be the only nation in the world which celebrates its National Day commemorating a defeat "

Cheers and Independence!
Tomàs Mallafré, banking services (@tmallafre)Read my previous articles
In Sant Jordi’s day, three aspects are mixed: identity, it’s our Saint Patron; culture, it’s our most extended festivity abroad, with the rose, the book and love as the main stars; and plastic, day full of light and colors (even though it’s raining). @xaviureta

Xavier Ureta, 

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