SAINT George is not just the patron of England – among the other regions and countries where the mythical dragon-slayer is celebrated on April 23 is Catalunya, where he is known as Sant Jordi and his 'day' fills the streets with book and flower stalls.
The former marks International Book Day, which also falls on April 23 as this was the date, in 1616, when Don Quijote author Miguel de Cervantes and British poet and playwright William Shakespeare died.
In practice, Cervantes passed away – aged 69 – 10 days before Shakespeare, who was just 52; although the dates are both recorded as April 23, 1616, England was still using the Julian calendar, whilst Spain had already moved onto the Gregorian calendar, the one used in most of the world today.
Long-standing tradition has it that on Sant Jordi's Day in Catalunya, people would give their partners or spouses a rose.
The two combined eventually, and it is now customary to buy your loved ones a flower and a book on Saint George's Day.
About six million red and yellow roses are sold in just one day in the north-eastern region, and many towns will have open-air flower and book stalls on the street.
The most famous Sant Jordi fair is in Barcelona, where top national and international authors sign their books – Siri Hustvedt and Marian Keyes have been among them in recent years.
Now, though, with Spain in lockdown due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the entire country's entire festival calendar has been shifted – and Sant Jordi will be celebrated on July 23 instead.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com