The 23 April is an important date in Catalonia. Usually the sun is shinning and Barcelona is full of stands selling red roses and books. VIP writers signing their new bestsellers, and lots of people walking through the Ramblas.
Saint George day is celebrated by many nations of whom Saint George is the patron saint. Catalonia is one of them. Here, it is known in Catalan as "Diada de Sant Jordi" and it is traditional to give a rose and a book to a loved one.
He didn?t become popular until the end of Crusades. Catalan knights who had not taken part in the Crusades because they had enough fighting against "Saracans", also started to talk about Saint George as the Croats did in the Eastern lands. Since then, Saint George has been the symbol of all Catalonia, Mallorca, Valencia and Arag? which at that time were a whole state. His image was in many coats of arms like the one of the famous Catalan troops called "Almogavers" who conquered lots of territories on the other side of the Mediterranean sea.
A little later and thanks to the king?s help, he was made the patron saint of Barcelona. For this reason, the city of Barcelona, has on its coat of arms the red cross which is the Saint George symbol and its festivity is one of the most important through the whole year. At the end of the XVth century the festivity of Saint George was made official by "La Generalitat". On the passing of such writers as Cervantes, Shakespeare and Garcilaso de la Vega, and the birth of other writers such as Maurice Druon, K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejia Vallejo, UNESCO said that on April 23 of each year we would celebrate Sant Jordi as World Book day.
You know how proud I am about Catalonia
, and I guess none of you knew about this, so I wanted to illustrate you about our traditions. 
So... for all of you...
Saint George day is celebrated by many nations of whom Saint George is the patron saint. Catalonia is one of them. Here, it is known in Catalan as "Diada de Sant Jordi" and it is traditional to give a rose and a book to a loved one.
He didn?t become popular until the end of Crusades. Catalan knights who had not taken part in the Crusades because they had enough fighting against "Saracans", also started to talk about Saint George as the Croats did in the Eastern lands. Since then, Saint George has been the symbol of all Catalonia, Mallorca, Valencia and Arag? which at that time were a whole state. His image was in many coats of arms like the one of the famous Catalan troops called "Almogavers" who conquered lots of territories on the other side of the Mediterranean sea.
A little later and thanks to the king?s help, he was made the patron saint of Barcelona. For this reason, the city of Barcelona, has on its coat of arms the red cross which is the Saint George symbol and its festivity is one of the most important through the whole year. At the end of the XVth century the festivity of Saint George was made official by "La Generalitat". On the passing of such writers as Cervantes, Shakespeare and Garcilaso de la Vega, and the birth of other writers such as Maurice Druon, K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla and Manuel Mejia Vallejo, UNESCO said that on April 23 of each year we would celebrate Sant Jordi as World Book day.
You know how proud I am about Catalonia
, and I guess none of you knew about this, so I wanted to illustrate you about our traditions. So... for all of you...
St. George is my wife's name day. I love being married to a Greek. 
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