Mallorca will slash 18,000 tourist beds from its accommodation offer
The island is dead set on doing something about the problem of overtourism
The festivity is also known as the Day of Books and Roses
Sant Jordi is one of those peculiar traditional festivals that define the identity of a nation in a quirky way. Every year, on 23 April, Catalans honour Saint George (Jordi is the local version of his name) with books and roses – of all things.
Each district in Barcelona and all towns in the region open lines of stands selling only those two items. The custom now dictates that men receive a book, and women receive a rose, however, nowadays this is considered a bit sexist so now any gender is entitled to give or receive any of the two objects.
The streets get filled with people walking around stalls, looking for a gift for their beloved, and for their family and friends too. It goes without saying that Sant Jordi is a great day for writers, book publishers and florists, as it is often their most profitable day of the year.
In 2017, Catalan activists proposed to UNESCO to put the Sant Jordi festival on its intangible cultural heritage list, but one wonders how it all began and what books and roses have to do with the saint in question.
The festival in its current form only dates back to 1931, which makes it a modern type of tradition.
Honouring Sant Jordi as a saint, however, has a long tradition among Catalans dating back to the Middle Ages. Known as a dragon slayer and a princess-saver, the legend says that the drops of dragon blood blossomed into roses, which he presented to the lady. This chivalrous act earned him the status of Catalonia’s patron saint already in 1456.
The book part, however, came much later. Initially, it was a Valencian writer by the name of Vicente Clavel who fought for the idea to have all of Spain celebrate Book Day to honour the country’s literary heritage. The idea was approved in 1926, and the chosen day was 7 October – the birthday of Miguel de Cervantes.
Five years later though, booksellers requested that Book Day would be celebrated on 23 April to mark the anniversary of the deaths of Cervantes and Shakespeare. Catalans, in particular, liked that combination of gifting both roses and books and decided to make it permanent. And there you have it.
Meanwhile, in 1995, UNESCO did declare 23 April as World Book Day, so even if you’re not Catalan you can open the pages of a book on that day and feel part of the wider global reading brotherhood.
The island is dead set on doing something about the problem of overtourism
The event, officially called Krakow Equality March, will be held next week
However, this option will not yet be available for the upcoming European Parliament elections in June
This is city twinning for the 21st century
You can find it in the capital Sofia, where it was installed upon the initiative of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
People in both cities got to sit together both in person and virtually
Exploring the unique “wildlife footprints” of European urban areas
This is city twinning for the 21st century
1.8 million residents in the country will therefore get a new address
This is the day when all madrileños take local pride in their city and culture
And the results were immediate, two Sunday services had to be performed to accommodate the crowd
The island is dead set on doing something about the problem of overtourism
Urban dwellers across the EU are having a say in making their surroundings friendlier to people and the environment.
Forests in the EU can help green the European construction industry and bolster a continent-wide push for architectural improvements.
Apply by 10 November and do your part for the transformation of European public spaces
Catch up with some recommendations for the 2024 European Capital of Culture programme from the mayor of Tartu
An interview with the ICLEI regional director for Europe аfter the close of COP28
An interview with a member of the No Hate Speech Network team