Yesterday April 23rd the streets of Barcelona were filled with small stands, each one of them with customized elements and beautiful decorations that made them special and unique, there were no two equal. Yesterday was a very important day in Catalonia’s calendar. Yesterday took place a very special event, Sant Jordi, our patron saint, a date that many Catalan men and women look forward to. They say that this tradition has its origins in the town of Montblanc (Tarragona), where the red rose that the prince gave to the princess bloomed. Then, why and where did this rose come from?
The legend of a whole town
Legend has it that many years ago, in the town of Montblanc all the inhabitants lived in fear of the presence of a dragon that threatened to destroy their beautiful medieval village. They had to do something soon and, finally, they decided that they would give one person each day, chosen by lot, to feed the fierce animal and try to calm it down. One day the capricious chance wanted the sacrifice to appease the dragon’s hunger to be the king’s daughter. The king felt a deep pain, but he knew that there could be no exceptions, so he gave his daughter to the dragon. At that moment, amidst fire and roaring, just before the dragon could devour the princess, a brave knight arrived and stood up to him and fought him. He finally managed to stab him with the sword that ended his life and the suffering of an entire village. The blood that spilled from the dragon’s wound fell, making a beautiful red rose bloom, which the knight gave to the princess as a symbol of love and bravery. Therefore, the tradition spread every April 23rd for many years.
Our cultural heritage
The original tradition has evolved over time; many adaptations of this legend have emerged. Some in which the knight is not the brave saviour, but the princess is saved alone or the dragon is not the bad of the story. Today, Sant Jordi is celebrated with great pride, it is no longer a sign of love from men to women, it is a tradition of love without gender or age. Roses are given to daughters, sons, mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, grandfathers, grandmothers, grandfathers and friends as a symbol of love, respect and tradition.
The same April 23 is also celebrated as International Book Day, since on that same day in 1616, the funeral of Miguel de Cervantes was held and two great figures of the time, William Shakespeare and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega, died. A day marked by writing, books, culture and the great works of these authors.
Today, both events are celebrated on a day like yesterday, in which books and roses coexist, bathing the streets with colours, culture, smells, letters and above all a lot of love.
The beauty that surrounds us
In our city, Barcelona, the streets are filled with writers signing their books, the Rambla seems a long red river bathed by flower shops, petals and book stalls, the balconies of the facade of the Casa Batlló are dressed gallantly to wear braided red roses and people proudly stroll from one side to another carrying books and roses everywhere.
Endless creativity
And so we celebrate our patron Sant Jordi and also the International Book Day, with love in its different forms.
Although the traditional rose is red (because of the blood spilled by the dragon of our legend) there are many other colours, and each of them has a particular meaning. In addition, in order to satisfy all audiences, there are natural, artificial, stuffed, paper, edible, forged metal, etc.
The same happens with books, literature is a huge range of possibilities before the eyes of every reader who, like the dragon in the legend, gobbles up every letter, every word and every page of his precious book.
Our own way of expressing love
At Smart Room Barcelona we show you our love by creating memorable brand experiences, through the design of customized stands that breathe your company’s identity. Just like the beauty and unique meaning of each rose by its colour, every detail of our stands is customized to convey your message with strength and elegance.We want to continue writing our own book with you; do you want to be part of our pages? Contact us and we will study your needs in order to offer you and customize the best option for your trade show booth.
