2. History
Aragón Symbols
As in the rest of the ancient Crown
of Aragon, the Feast of St George
is celebrated enthusiastically in
the Community of Aragon, being
the country's patron saint and its
national day. On 23 April, Aragon
celebrates its "Día de Aragón"
(Day of Aragon) in
commemoration of the Battle of
Alcoraz (Baralla d'Alcoraz in
Aragonese), on which Huesca was
conquered by the Aragonese army
and in which tradition says that St
George appeared at a critical
moment for the Christian Army,
aiding them to win the battle for
the "True Faith".
3. History Cataluña Symbols
The Saint George's Day also known as The
Day of the Rose or The Day of the Book is a
Catalan holiday held on 23 April. The main
event is the exchange of gifts between
sweethearts, loved ones and colleagues.
Historically, men gave women roses, and
women gave men a book to celebrate the
occasion—"a rose for love and a book
forever." In modern times, the mutual
exchange of books is also customary. Roses
have been associated with this day since
medieval times, but the giving of books is a
more recent tradition originating in 1923,
when a bookseller started to promote the
holiday as a way to commemorate the nearly
simultaneous deaths of Miguel Cervantes and
William Shakespeare on 23 April 1616.
Barcelona is the publishing capital of both
Catalan and Spanish languages and the
combination of love and literacy was quickly
adopted.
