Last Friday we celebrated St. George Day at School, since the 23rd of April was a Saturday during the Easter holidays. I hope that all of you had a great time.
Here I would like to comment a few things about this special day. For example,Do you know that Shakespeare and Cervantes died on April 23rd?
April 23rd is St. George’s Day. St. George is the Patron Saint of England and Catalonia (Sant Jordi). El Dia de San Jorge is also the Day of Aragon. The story says that he fought and killed a dragon and saved a maiden from the dragon! In the Middle Ages, the dragon was a symbol of the devil. St. George was a martyr so he killed the dragon.
In England there are concerts and music events on St. George’s Day, but not many people celebrate it.
In Catalonia Sant Jordi is more important. It has been celebrated since 1436. There every man has to give a rose to his loved-one and every woman must give her loved-one a book. (These days the women get books too!) In Catalonia the story says that where dragons’ blood fell, a rose grew. The rose was a symbol of love and friendship. The idea of giving a book is to remember Cervantes, Spain’s most famous writer. In England there are also events to remember Shakespeare.
