of Books also lobbied for Day of the Book at a national level and as a result, in the same year, King Alfonso XIII of Spain signed a decree designating October 7 as Book Day. The day after the second annual Book Day, on October 8, 1927, the Barcelona newspaper, La Vanguardia published, "Barcelona celebrated Book Day with real fervor yesterday. A festival of civility and intelligence, it has quickly taken root in the soul of the city. From last year - when it was held for the first time - to this year, the progress is extraordinary" (translated). Day of the Rose and Sant Jordi's legend Before 1931, April 23 was known as the Day of the Rose or Sant Jordi's Day in Catalonia (Saint George or San Jorge in other regions of Spain and Europe). The story begins with real events on April 23, 303 AD, when Romans beheaded a soldier named George, probably in Greece. The story of this knight then developed into a legend over hundreds of years. In Catalonia the legend involved Sant Jordi killing a dragon and saving a princess. When Jordi slayed the dragon, a rose bush grew from the blood of the dragon, and the knight presented one of these roses to the princess. According to legend, a rose bush grows there every April. The legend of Sant Jordi spread throughout the Catalan region until, in 1456, Sant Jordi was named the Patron Saint of Catalonia and the annual commemoration with roses began. It is interesting to note that the first Catalan printed book was published in 1474. In the early 1700s, with the fall of the city of Barcelona and the ascension of the Bourbons to the Spanish throne, Sant Jordi's day began to fall out of favor. It was not until the end of the 1800s, with the Renaixença, that Sant Jordi’s day regained its previous popularity within Catalonia. The merging of important days and traditions into one holiday featuring books and roses In 1931, five years after the establishment of the Day of the Book, the event was moved from October 7 to April 23 at the request of booksellers to coincide with the day that Cervantes and Shakespeare died. The day quickly grew in popularity because it also coincided with St. Jordi's day and the Rose Festival which had been celebrated for hundreds of years. Although the Day