In Catalunya, April 23 is Saint George Day or Sant Jordi in Catalan. This day is a real treat here in Catalunya and in Barcelona, its capital. Although it is a work day, from early in the morning until dusk the main streets are lined with book stalls and stands to sell roses. The tradition here is that the man buys a single rose each for the women in his life (mother, wife, lover, sister, etc). The woman buys a book for the man or men in her life. It is a very festive day with so much life and activity on the streets. Famous authors will be at certain book stands to sign books for their fans. Many people here associate Sant Jordi Day with Spring time. It is a lovely tradition which has its roots in two events: a legend and two famous authors.
In brief, the legend states that a dragon was attacking the kingdom and to try to appease the dragon, the inhabitants offered the dragon lambs and other stock animals, but after a while they became sparse. So they decided, with the king's approval, to offer the dragon a child. The decision was made by drawing lots. It turned out that the king's own daughter, the princess was selected. The princess went to the dragon's lair to be sacrificed. But a knight, Jordi, came to the village and upon learning about the fate of the princess, decided to rescue her and kill the dragon. After a fierce battle, Jordi did kill the dragon, stabbing it in the heart. As the blood spilled from the dragon onto the ground, a pool of dragon blood was formed and a rose bush appeared with red roses. Jordi chose the largest one and gave it to the princess. It also happened that on April 23, 1616, two literary giants, Cervantes and Shakespeare, died. So, April 23 was named Book Day. This was combined with the legend of Sant Jordi to create the current tradition that is celebrated and performed each year throughout all of Catalunya.
Another Cultural Difference
Last Tuesday I accompanied my friend Jordi, who owns a restaurant south of Barcelona, as he made his way to the accountant's office. I listened in on the conversation between the accountant and Jordi. At one point, the accountant was the only one in the office. Then the telephone rang. What I observed next was quite interesting. Although the office phone kept ringing, the accountant ignored the phone and continued her conversation with Jordi. The person on the other end of the line hung up and then called back. Still the accountant ignored the phone and made her conversation with Jordi her first priority.
This would never happen in the U.S. (or at least it never happened to me). The telephone always had higher priority than the person (i.e. - the client) and that person would be interrupted one or more times as the agent would feel obliged to answer the phone.
I don't know if I can make this into a cultural generalization, but I actually found it refreshing to see that the accountant was not a slave to the phone and made the person in front of her her highest priority by giving Jordi her undivided attention until he got all the information he needed.
Other Happenings
On Sunday I got my first visit from the U.S. Natasha is a woman who I worked with at the OCC. Her mother is from Sevilla and her father is American. She was here in Barcelona visiting her sister who lives here and we had a pleasant Sunday afternoon walking and talking while seeing parts of the city.
I had the privilege to be part of a large birthday celebration of 5 friends' birthdays at Jordi's restaurant on Saturday evening. It was a lot of fun, with lots to good food and plenty to drink!! Below are some pictures from the celebration.
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| My friend Jordi and me |
