Sant Jordi (St George's Day) 23.4.2011

Sant Jordi (St George's Day)

 Just like Valentine's day for lovers.

St George is the patron saint of Catalonia, and on the 23rd you will find people selling roses on literally every street corner, and bookstalls set up with roughly the same frequency.

As a gentleman you are supposed to give your lady a rose, the rose being said to have sprung from where the dragon's blood fell; as a lady you are supposed to give your knight-in-shining-armour a book.  The book comes either (a) from the fact that April 23rd also happens to be the date of the deaths of both Shakespeare and Cervantes and (b) is thus World Book Day or (c) from the fact that it's a golden opportunity to flog some books.

我就在此日早上乘火車去 Valencia，Renfe 的職員在月台上派書，是一本西班牙文短篇小說集，是一個很好的記念。