Diada de Sant Jordi

The 23 April celebrates Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalunya.

It’s also the Catalan version of Valentine’s Day – it’s customary for men to give women roses, and women to give men books.  The streets of big towns and cities, such as Tarragona, Barcelona and Reus are packed with stalls selling roses and books – and even the smallest villages will have one or two stalls, perhaps set up by teenagers raising money for their sports team.