San Jordi - Day Of Love, Books & Roses 2013

Once again, Day of Books and Roses, Día de San Jordi (St. Gerorge's Day). I needn't mention it again that it's a romantic day in this part of the world where I am, Spain. It's a day of culture, leisure, pleasure and more than anything else, day of culture and romance. Or, at least romantic gestures, when men receive gifts of books, and ladies are presented roses.Nowadays though, ladies too are often given books as well as the roses.

Not only this is done amongst friends and family either. In better times, many good class restaurants, hotels, cafes too, and even some shops would give a rose to their regular guests or customers on this day, small investment for public relations. It's not unusual a lady would get a rose from a total stranger in the street.

With the crisis of recession and prices of books and roses, I think most people would go for the singular rather than the plural, a book and a rose, not stacks of one and enormous bouquet of the other. Not sure how to present one book to make it look romantic, but one single rose always seems to me even more elegant than a bunch of them, if not exactly appearing to be more romantic to some.

To me yes, especially coming from a special or significant someone. If it's presented in the right location and at the right moment. Or on any day of the year. Not everything is better in quantity in my opinion.

The only thing is, the day makes me reflect on another reality. The people who don't get even just one book or one rose and know they never will. The day just seems extra sad amongst the other sad days. Even though the sun is shining, birds are singing, the temperature is pleasant, the atmosphere is festive, faces everywhere are smiling, but you feel as though you don't belong, as though you are watching from outside a private window. Forlorn and invisible. You almost feel as though you are intruding.

If I could afford it, or if I could influence the authorities, wouldn't it be nice to send books and roses to those who are in geriatric residences or asylums, those in institutes for formerly wayward women, battered wives or single mothers, now under protection and reeducation? And hospitals, and your neighbour maybe whom you know to be all alone ...

Tags:love,roses,books

Current Mood: Awake

San Jordi - Day Of Kisses, Books & Roses 2009

Sant. Jordi's Day today. For the Spanish, especially the Catalan, it's the day of books and roses, also known as the Day of Lovers, and Day of Love and Culture. It's the custom for people to give a token gift of love to their beloved, always on this day, books for him and roses for her. It's not against the rule to attach a diamond ring if you intend to propose, or simply to impress; nor for her to slip a love poem, a photo of herself between book pages for you either. Neither is it strictly limited to lovers or hopeful suitors, but also quite acceptable as a gesture of friendship to some special friends without implication of love in the personal sense.

Many employers, the appreciative and generous ones, give a book or a rose to their favourite employee too, and very often hotels and restaurants give a single rose to their regular lady customers, but after years living here, I have never seen a male customer ever get a book from anybody other than his wife, girlfriend, or a close relative.

Not too surprising really, considering that on this day, a single rose wrapped in pretty cellophane tied with a ribbon would cost 10 - 15 € in the street, and up to €25 or more in 5 star hotels or fancy and expensive restaurants. Some people say a reliable guideline for the estimated price of a rose in this type of establishment is: for each star rating of the place, add 5€ to the basic street price!! So in recent years, less and less restaurants and coffee bars give out roses any more. Strange thing, men never got their books not now or in the past, not when they are mere customers.

Last year on this day, the very first edition of a photo competition denominated 'The Best Kiss', in which readers of one of the biggest newspapers 'La Vanguardia', could send in what they have taken and reckoned to be a wonderful photo of a kiss. I blogged about it on May the 11th last year and posted also what I had personally chosen as the best kiss, which had in fact won. Here it is:

The paper had been publishing 5 photos each day since the competition began, & I have seen many of them: passionate ones in the street, in the park, up the hill, by the sea ... I have to say I agree completely with this chosen one as the " Best Kiss " (so baptized, by the paper I presume). It's so gentle, tender, yet with passion, understated, barely but unmistakably visible.

Tags:santjordi,book,rose,kiss

Current Mood: Accomplished

San Jordi - Day Of Book, Roses & Football 2008

** My article below was an old one too written in 2008 soon after I began blogging. But, since the day of book & roses, Sant Jordi's day, takes place every year, there are always new events and stories that are unique for that particular day. It's certainly the case in 2008. So I am re-posting it to add to what happens today this year. **

The long awaited football match with Barca of Barcelona vs the Manchester United from Britain coincided on the day of Sant Jordi here in Spain. The 7000 British footballers and fans landed in Barcelona were very happily surprised, to find themselves right in the middle of hundreds of thousands of books and roses all over the city, including seeing some of these hanging from tree branches in the streets, especially in the city centre where the renowned Rambla is. Countless stalls were set up in most main streets, together with the 5 million roses, singly wrapped in transparent cellophane with colourful ribbon bows, or in bunches for those who wish to buy more than a single one.

Queues are formed in many of these stalls for avid readers to get their favourite authors signature, some were even lucky enough to have a picture taken with him/her. Many of these book fans in some queues carried a rose too, if the author they were waiting the signature for were lady authors. I immediately thought: what do they give to the authors when they are men? Surely can't be a book??

The papers today are full of photos of these football followers, more like party revellers blending in the masses of locals celebrating the big day. Some first timers in the city asked questions like " Is the city always like this? " Are these organised specially for the football match? " (!!). One guy wore a rose on his open-neck shirt until he found out the flowers were supposed to be given to ladies, so he stopped the first pretty brunette he spotted and gave her the red rose, getting a very sweet smile back, and thus grinning happily towards one of the flower seller to buy another couple more!

Mark, 67, a British football fan bought 4o roses in a case (hope he got a discount for bulk buying, as each rose cost 15 € at least for that day) to give to his wife Susan, to mark their 40 years of marriage. She squalled, surprised and delighted, then wrinkled up her nose with simulated apprehension and said " ... When we get back home to England, I guess I would have to buy him a library! ".

 

Tags:football,manchesterunited

Current Mood: Accomplished

San Jordi - Day Of Books & Roses 2007

I was sipping my steaming cup of coffee at my usual cafe this morning, facing the sea, watching the world go by as I do everyday. A man carrying a few red roses, beautifully half wrapped individually with ribbons, stopped at my table & presented one of these to me with a lovely smile but without a word, then carried on his way. He was a total stranger.

Only then did I suddenly remember that today is St. George's Day, or "Diada de San Jordi" in Catalunya, where I live, in Spain. It's a day of roses & books, representing love & culture. The roses are given to the ladies & books for men. These can also be given to one's good friends, & even to a stranger.

Like the past 2 weeks, it's warm & sunny, but seems more so today with happy faces, red roses & books, in specially set up temporary kiosks in all the main streets, beautifully decorated with, what else, roses & books for "walls" or "counters". Some even put on soft background music with love themes.

In the past, I used to get far more roses from strangers, even by cafes & restaurants if a lady is a valued customer. Over the years, this is done less & less, almost non existent in the recent years. For good reason. One single rose costs between €8 to €12 today in Roses. In Barcelona city centre the newspaper said is €15 as the minimum! All depends on where you are, tourist centre or not, town or village, big rose or small one, etc. For a lady regarded as very learned , she might get both rose & a book. Books are very expensive in the whole of Spain too, as are any paper products, for I don't know what reason.

It must be the general atmosphere, I feel happy today although, apart from the unexpected rose, nothing special has happened to me.

Well, the day is young yet.

Tags:sanjordi,love,culture

Current Mood: Accomplished