World Book and Copyright Day—"The Day of the Book" From St. George to Love to Book Love Every April 23

UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day celebrates books, publishing and copyright protectionsUNESCO

April 23 is a traditional day of celebration of books and publishing, an important day in the international annual calendar of book publishing events. Read about how April 23 became “The Day of the Book" and UNESCO's World Book and Copyright Day, and about the other book celebrations those traditions inspired.

 "Day of the Book" Backstory — Saint George and the Dragon
The Day of the Book in the Catalan provinces of Spain had their roots in the celebration of the patron saint of Catalonia, St. George. Since the Middle Ages, St. George’s Day which has been celebrated in Barcelona and the other Catalan provinces (as well as in many other countries, including England, where he also the patron saint).Saint George was a Roman soldier who converted to Christianity and was martyred for this faith. During the Middle Ages, soldiers coming back from the Crusades also brought back the legend of St. George slaying a dragon.

According to the story, a terrible dragon terrorized a town, demanding that the inhabitants sacrifice two sheep a day to keep him fed. Once the sheep were gone, the townspeople were forced to sacrifice their children, chosen each day by lottery.
The king’s daughter lost the lottery and was awaiting being devoured by the dragon when Saint George happened by and slew the beast with his sword. The dragon’s blood spilled to the ground; on that spot a rosebush grew. Saint George plucked the rose and gave it to the princess.For many years, a man’s gift of a rose to his girlfriend was the accepted form of celebration of Saint George’s Day, sometimes called “Day of the Rose” or “Day of the Lovers.”
"Lovers" to "Libres"—El dia de Libre (The Day of the Book)

During the 1920s, a Catalonian bookseller noted that April 23 was also the date of both William Shakespeare’s and Miguel Cervantes’s deaths (both in 1616). In a brilliant, enterprising stroke of book promotion, it was determined that a book would be the perfect gift to be given in exchange for the rose—and El dia de Libre was established.

Today, the El dia de Libre tradition is firmly entrenched in Barcelona, Spain’s publishing capital for books in both the Catalan and Spanish languages. There, books are exchanged for roses and vice versa, regardless of sex—“a rose for love and a book forever.”

During Barcelona’s April 23 Book and Rose Fair, the hundreds of stalls along the famous, tree-lined pedestrian thoroughfare, La Rambla (or Las Ramblas), are filled with florists and booksellers. Some sources estimate that nearly half a million roses are sold and it is estimated that half of all annual book purchases in Catalonia are made on April 23. Other literary events, such as author readings, are also scheduled and the date is also a popular one for launching new books into the marketplace.

UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day
Inspired by the Catalan El dia del Libre, in 1995 The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared April 23 to be World Book and Copyright Day. The goal of World Book and Copyright Day is to promote reading, publishing, and the protection of intellectual property through copyright around the world.

  BIOGRAPHY OF MIGUEL DE CERVANTES