Hello, #vivers! Last week, like every year on April 23, Book Day was celebrated. To commemorate it, that day we carried out different activities with the students of our Spanish teaching academy: reading fragments of some of the most famous books of Spanish literature, talks about recommended books in Spanish...
The celebration of Book Day begins at the beginning of the 23th century. On April XNUMX, International Book Day is celebrated around the world. In Spain and several Latin American countries this day is celebrated.
On April 23, 1616, the two greats of literature in Spanish and English, respectively, Miguel de Cervantes and William Shakespeare, died. Also on April 23, other eminent writers such as Vladimir Nabokov, Josep Pla or Manuel Mejía Vallejo were born (or died).
For this reason, this very symbolic date for universal literature was chosen by the General Conference of UNESCO to pay a global tribute to the book and its authors, and to promote and encourage the discovery of the pleasure of reading and respect for the contribution of writers to social and cultural progress in our society.
The origins of Book Day
The original idea of celebrating Book Day was born in Catalonia, when the Valencian writer Vicente Clavel André proposed it to the Official Book Chamber of Barcelona in 1923 and it was finally approved by King Alfonso October 1926 was the first Book Day.
A few years later, in 1930, the date of April 23 was definitively established as Book Day, coinciding with Saint George or Sant Jordi, patron saint of Aragon and Catalonia. It is tradition that loved ones exchange a rose and a book that day.
The origin of this curious Catalan festival is a mix of traditions from different eras. On the one hand, Sant Jordi has been the patron saint of Catalonia since the XNUMXth century. On the other hand, the famous legend of Sant Jordi and the dragon, where the knight defeated the dragon that frightened the people and the princess; When he pierced it with his sword, beautiful red roses sprouted from the body of the beast. Sant Jordi took one and gave it to the princess.
The Cervantes Prize
In addition, this day the most important literary prize in Spanish is awarded, the Cervantes Prize, which is delivered in the Auditorium of the Cisneriana University of Alcalá de Henares. This year 2021 has been received by the writer Francisco Brines. Both last year and this year, the ceremony has been canceled due to the pandemic.
If you are interested in Spanish culture and would like to know more curiosities like these, don't miss the next entries in our spanish blog. And if you are looking for a Spanish teaching academy in Madrid, don't hesitate, at Luis Vives Escuela de Español, we have the best Spanish classes, adapted to your needs and for all levels. Luis Vives Spanish School The best option to learn Spanish in Madrid!
