The Catalan festival of Sant Jordi is a traditional celebration that takes place on April 23 in Catalonia. The festival is celebrated in honor of Saint George, the patron saint of Catalonia, who is known to have killed a dragon to save a princess and is celebrated as a symbol of the victory of good over evil.
The festival of Sant Jordi has become a cultural celebration in Catalonia, in which both the patron saint and literature and love are commemorated. On April 23, the streets are filled with book and rose stalls, and it is tradition for men to give women a rose, while women give men a book.
This tradition goes back to the Middle Ages, when the Catalan troubadours began to use the day of Sant Jordi to honor their patron saint and to celebrate love and poetry. Over time, the tradition of giving a rose joined the custom of giving a book in honor of the anniversary of the death of two great writers: William Shakespeare and Miguel de Cervantes, who both died on April 23, 1616.