How to Celebrate La Diada de Sant Jordi in Barcelona, Spain

La Diada de Sant Jordi, or St. George's Day, is one of Barcelona's biggest holidays. Celebrated on April 23rd the Day of St. George--also popularly known to the world as "The Spanish Valentine's Day"--is a festival marked by the giving and receiving of roses and books. In Catalonia it is traditional for men to give women flowers and women to give men books. Roses have a deep historical presence, but books have taken on a very traditional sense as well since their introduction into the festival in the early 1920s, when a clever bookseller promoted April 23 as the day that literary giants Shakespeare and Cervantes died. There are a lot of things to do in Barcelona during this beautiful festival, so here's a guide to the things you don't want to miss.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• City map of Barcelona
• Barcelona Metro Map
• Money (for books and roses)
• Walking shoes
• Camera

1. Get up early and head to Las Ramblas, Barcelona's most famous city street located on the southern end of Plaza Cataluyna, and start your journey here. Walk down Las Ramblas and enjoy the thousands of book stalls and flower booths that are set up here.
2. Take a break from book browsing and flower buying to enjoy a taste of Catalonia with traditional Sant Jordi bread. This special bread can be found in every bakery today and is easily identified by the red, yellow or both red and yellow stripes in the bread. You can get an individual slice for snacking or buy a whole loaf.
3. Head to Plaza Jaume in the Gothic Quarter between Via Laitana and Las Ramblas to enjoy City Hall. This building is only open to the public one day a year and Diada de Sant Jordi is it. It is not to be missed and it's free so you don't have any excuse.
4. Pop into almost any coffee shop to settle in with a mug of cafe con leche or chocolat con churros and listen to a power reading of Don Quixote. Many coffee shops and patisseries will have 24-hour readings of the famous Spanish novel during the festival.
5. Hundreds of Barcelonians will be getting into the celebrations today by forming a human chain. All Jordis, Georges, Yuris, Jorges, Gorkas and various other names for the Saint will be trying to form the longest human chain in order to get into the Guinness Book of World Records.
6. End your flower and book filled day of love by hopping on the L4 metro line north toward Gracia. Here's where you can enjoy a true taste of Catalonia by watching the Sardana, the traditional dance of Cataluyna, being performed in Plaza de Sant Joan. At 6:30 p.m. Catalonian citizens gather in front of a live band to dance the night away. You're more than welcome to watch, but feel free to join in as well.

Tips & Warnings

• If you're looking to purchase books and rose, it is cheaper to do so off of the main Ramblas.
• While on Las Ramblas or any other busy area, watch for pick pockets and bag thieves.