El Dia de St Jordi
In late April, the Catalans become unabashedly romantic for one day, El Dia de San Jordi. It is a great holiday that occurs right during the peak of Spring and celebrates the Catalan patron Saint Jordi who slayed the dragon and rescued the pretty girl.
Tradition says that on the day of Saint Jordi, men give roses to women, and women give books to the men. While I have never been in Barcelona on the day of Saint Jordi, Roger explains how the streets are bursting with flower & book vendors, all draped in the red and gold colors of the Catalan flag.
Being married to a Catalan, Roger and I have celebrated April 23rd together for nine years now. Wow. Over the years, it has become like our own personal version of Valentine’s Day here in Austin. We never talk about the day as it approaches, almost a test to see if we remember the holiday. Roger surprises with different permutations of roses (last year was a multi-color concoction of Easter eggs colors) and I search for a book that is thoughtful to whatever is going on in our lives (last year, I got Roger a copy of the Federalist Papers because he was finally becoming a US Citizen).
The holiday was extra meaningful this year because we were expecting our own little Saint Jordi. He was due on the April 23rd, but being fashionably late just like his own mother, Jordi Isern Lowry arrived a week later on April 30th. And while it took 30 hours to coax him out into the world, our half-Catalan- half-American kiddo still managed to arrive just in time for Mother’s Day. J
