Sant Jordi

The Better Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is celebrated around the world as the day most associated with love. Even though this Hallmark holiday has made it’s way across the pond to Europe (taking Halloween, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day along with it), Sant Jordi is the day most associated with love in Barcelona. There’s no big candy hearts, edible underwear, awkward trips for lingerie to Victoria’s Secret, restaurant reservations, and all the other anxieties that come with Valentine’s Day in the states. Sant Jordi day rules are simple. There’s an exchange of a single rose and a book. The man gets the woman and single rose in exchange for a book. Economically speaking, twenty euros is pretty much the maximum that can be spent on Sant Jordi Day. I’m making this point about cost, because Sant Jordi is so much more about the experience.

The Rose

The beauty of Sant Jordi is that the men get off easy with a single rose for their loves and not the quintessential dozen long stem roses expected on Valentine’s Day in the states. These single roses are curated by florists and pop ups all across Barcelona. You can get your love a rose for as little as a few euros and spend upwards of 20 euros depending on the intricacy of the single rose presentation. Finding the perfect rose is not as simple as it may sound. This year’s rose came from the FC Barcelona booth, featuring its trademark “Blaugrana” (blue and red) colors. You’ll find some roses are pretty tacky. They may be blue and decorated in flashing led lights. I opt for the more traditional red rose to keep it classy and classic.

The Book

The thing I like most about Sant Jordi is how it encourages reading. It’s also the busiest time of the year for independently owned and operated bookstores. They also set up kiosks throughout the city selling books. Authors are also available to give short talks and sign copies of their books. I received two books this year. The first book was a hardcover book called, A Spot of Bother by Mark Haddon and the second book was Blood Meridian in paperback (traveling to the states on Thursday) by Cormac McCarthy. All my reading these days are on the kindle with ebooks that I check out electronically from my library back in New Berlin, Wisconsin. As much as I like the convenience of the kindle, nothing compares to feel of an actual book in your hand.