St George's Day

Hand made envelopes sent last year for the celebration of Sant Jordi.

And a postcard sent on Sant George's Day!

Books & Roses Day

23 April is Sant Jordi (='Saint George’s Day'), and also the UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day, when love and literature are celebrated massively throughout the Catalan countries and, more and more, in many other places around the world. The exchange of books and roses (#BooksAndRoses) is turning into a worldwide phenomenon.

I love this day, and I love when snail mail is full of...

Roses

Frist Art Museum
Nashville, Tennessee (USA)

... and Books

The Book Loft
Columbus, Ohio (the USA)

Persuasion, Jane Austen

Emma, Jane Austen

Mail sent by Fabienne (France), Catherine (France), Laura (the UK), Imma (PC) and Phillip (the USA).

Apotheosis of the Rose (and the Book)

Happy St George's Day!

Apotheosis of the Rose, 1926
Joseph Stella

Folded card sent by Phillip (the USA). 

Letter sent by Laura (the UK).

Postcard sent by Heleen (the Netherlands) in 2023, with matching stamps on the back: books & roses!

My Only, by Katerina Babok

And her 2024 postcard as well.

Letter sent by Imma (PC).

Letter sent by Rosemary (Canada).

Sunday Stamps | Sant Jordi

Today's theme in Sunday Stamps is Dragons, saints. 

I received this, ehem, dragon from Heleen (the Netherlands) to celebrate St George's Day (#BooksAndRoses). No element of the festival is missing: the dragon, the rose (Australian stamp), the books...

Books & Roses Day

23 April is Sant Jordi ('Saint George’s Day'), and also the UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day, when love and literature are celebrated massively throughout the Catalan countries and, more and more, in many other places around the world. The exchange of books and roses (#BooksAndRoses) is turning into a worldwide phenomenon.

It is also one of my favourite days of the year.

A book and a rose on my name :)
(And book-related stamps!)

Mail sent by Heleen (the Netherlands) and Pina (Belgium).

Easter Postcards

A postcard from an online Easter meetup last year, sent by Heleen (the Netherlands).

And not only bunnies on this big postcard sent by John (the UK), but some hares on the back...

Fijne Koningsdag

Envelopes from Konningsdag 2020:

Sent by Heleen (the Netherlands). There is also a Sant Jordi rose on this one...

Sent to Heleen (the Netherlands).

23 April: Stop and Smell the Roses

23 April is Sant Jordi ('Saint George’s Day'), and also the UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day, when love and literature are celebrated massively throughout the Catalan countries and, more and more, in many other places around the world. The exchange of books and roses (#BooksAndRoses) is turning into a worldwide phenomenon.

I got last week a couple of Sant Jordi-related stamps (unintentionally?):

Letter from Alan (the UK)

The White Ensign, at one time called the St George's Ensign due to the simultaneous existence of a cross-less version of the flag, is an ensign worn on British Royal Navy ships and shore establishments. It consists of a red St George's Cross on a white field with the Union Flag in the upper canton. The stamp belongs to a set issuet on 22 October 2001.

This is the decorated back of a big postcard sent by John (the UK). The miniature sheet was issued on 6 May 2010, under the title Celebrating the Accession of King George V for London 2010 Festival of Stamps. 

And a letter from Fabienne (France) wore a stamp I was really happy to get. Issued on 12 April this year, it celebrates the 75 anniversary of Le Petit Prince ('The Little Prince').

If you have read the book, or know the story, you can see a rose in the Little Prince's hands... And you realise that the stamp on the left is a perfect match!

Oh, and I sent some dragons & roses, too!

Gifts

Morning Gift
Katsuhisa Toda

These postcards were sent by Heleen (the Netherlands) last year. They arrived just on time: the day before Sant Jordi!

Andante
Katsuhisa Toda

Books, Dragons, Roses

Heleen (the Netherlands) drew this envelope for la Diada de Sant Jordi (='Saint George's Day). And it arrived on time!

She drew another envelope last year. I got it a week later but it has been on my desk for a while. Time to show it here!

Needles to say that I love Heleen's drawings, and the new slogan for George and the dragon: "Make friendship, not war.".

And the new ending/beginning of the story she made up:

Sant Jordi and Dragon agreed: read books, cherish roses, write letters. To be short: make friendship, not war. They lived happily ever after. 

The End*

*Which is always the start of a new beginning.

The contents of the letter were also wonderful, as you can see...

And there were books and dragons on the stamps!

Roses Are Coming

USA, 2018

USA, 1982

Night and Sleep

 Evelyn de Morgan, 1878

Portland Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade, 1995

And dragons, too!

Slovakia, 2011
Church of St. George in St. Jur

Ethelbert Gate
Winchester Cathedral (the UK)

(Can you distinguish St. Georges and the dragon?)

(One week for Sant Jordi. Although this will be a strange one.)