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Sant Jordi’s Day
What Do Dragons, Roses, and Books Have in Common?
Evil doers beware when Saint George also known as Sant Jordi appears. In legend, he has appeared in support of the Crown of Aragon to help the Christian army defeat the Moors. In Catalunya, he captured and killed a dragon who was about to devour a princess named Cleodolinda[1]. Roses sprang from the blood of the dragon where the sword of the venerated saint had cut him.
There are, of course, countless legends about Sant Jordi, and his fame for defending his faith made him patron saint of Catalunya, Aragon, and many other places around the world[2]. Sant Jordi is also the protector of lovers, and thus roses are an important part of the festivities here in Catalunya[3]
You can read about Sant Jordi’s faith and his exploits around the world from many sources on the internet, so I will not go into them in any detail here. Because Sant Jordi is protector of lovers, and legends tell us that his sword brought forth roses in some legends from the blood of the evil dragon, Sant Jordi’s day is a Catalan version of Valentine’s Day. Traditionally, women received red roses from the men who loved them.
