The Day of Books and Roses

In 1923, Vicente Clavel, a Valencian writer, editor, and the director of the Cervantes publishing house in Barcelona, first proposed Book Day.[9] A decision was not made and the proposal languished; however, in 1925, he raised the idea with the Catalan Chamber of Books, of which he was vice president, and finally in February 1926 a decision was made to create and promote a day dedicated to books on October 7.[2][10][11][12] October 7 is believed by some people to be the birth date of the writer Miguel de Cervantes.[9] Clavel and the Chamber of Books also lobbied for Day of the Book at a national level; as a result, that same year, King Alfonso XIII of Spain signed a decree designating October 7 as Book Day.[12] The day after the second annual Book Day, on October 8, 1927, the Barcelona newspaper, La Vanguardia published, "Barcelona celebrated Book Day with real fervor yesterday. A festival of civility and intelligence, it has quickly taken root in the soul of the city. From last year—when it was held for the first time—to this year, the progress is extraordinary" (translated).[11]

Bernat Martorell painting of Sant Jordi, the dragon, and the princess. Probably commissioned by the Catalan government in c. 1434

Before 1931, April 23 was known as the Day of the Rose or Sant Jordi's Day in Catalonia (Saint George or San Jorge in other regions of Spain and Europe).

The story begins with real events on April 23, 303 AD, when Romans beheaded a soldier named George, probably in Greece.[13][1] The story of this knight then developed into a legend over hundreds of years. In Catalonia the legend involved Sant Jordi killing a dragon and saving a princess.[13] When Jordi slew the dragon, a rose bush grew from the blood of the dragon, and the knight presented one of these roses to the princess.[13] According to legend, a rose bush grows there every April.[1]

The legend of the saint spread throughout the Principality of Catalonia until, in 1456, he was named the patron saint of Catalonia, and the annual commemoration with roses began. The first Catalan printed book was published in 1474.[14]

In the early 1700s, with the fall of the city of Barcelona and the ascension of the Bourbons to the Spanish throne, Sant Jordi's day began to fall out of favor. It was not until the end of the 1800s, with the Renaixença, that Sant Jordi’s day regained its previous popularity within Catalonia.[13]

Dancing on April 23, 1970, in Barcelona

In 1931, five years after the establishment of the Day of the Book, the event was moved from October 7 to April 23 at the request of booksellers to coincide with the anniversaries of the deaths of Cervantes and Shakespeare.[2] The day quickly grew in popularity because it also coincided with St. Jordi's Day and the Rose Festival, which had been celebrated for hundreds of years.[2]

Although the Day of Books and Roses quickly grew in popularity, under the Spanish dictatorship of Francisco Franco, from 1936 to 1975, Catalan language and culture was repressed,[15][14] and Sant Jordi celebrations were prohibited.[13]

In 1995, UNESCO adopted April 23 as World Book Day and decreed the book as the most important instrument in the dissemination of knowledge.[2] In 2015 Barcelona was named as a UNESCO City of Literature; central to the candidacy was the unique celebration of books and roses.[16][17] In 2017, a group of Catalan publishers, booksellers, florists, and other professionals presented an application to UNESCO to have the Day of Books and Roses recognized as Intangible Heritage.[2]