With a bang the black clouds open.

First it pours, then hailstones patter down on the tent roofs of the stands.

Shortly thereafter, the sun fights its way out again.

On Barcelona's Gràcia Boulevard, some applaud the rays.

People don't let the first Sant Jordi day be spoiled, which they celebrate without restrictions after the outbreak of the Corona pandemic: On the holiday of St. George in Catalonia, people give each other a book and a rose.

Hans Christian Roessler

Political correspondent for the Iberian Peninsula and the Maghreb based in Madrid.

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For many, it's a first open-faced reunion;

The mask requirement in Spain was only lifted on Wednesday.

Without a mask, but under the umbrella, the visitors will not be slowed down this Saturday.

The queues in front of the stands where well-known authors sign their works seem endless, the waiting time drags on.

Readers are grateful for the books that carried them out of lockdown and into another world, authors for their loyalty in dark times.

“This direct contact with my readers is great.

We've all had to go without it for far too long.

That gives me new energy, because writing is often a very lonely thing,” says Santiago Posteguillo.

His historical novel Roma soy yo, about Julius Caesar,

In lockdown, Spaniards have rediscovered their love of books

During the pandemic, many Spaniards rediscovered their love for books, which has not cooled down to this day.

For writer Rosa Montero, the holiday is the "official conclusion" of Covid.

She is overwhelmed and grateful for the affection of the readers who remain loyal to the authors.

170 came to Barcelona to dedicate their books at one of the 300 stands.

Several passers-by were injured when gusts of wind blew some tents through the air.

The rain soaked mountains of books.

Nevertheless, the organizers are ultimately hoping for similarly good numbers as on the last book day before the pandemic.

In April 2019, 1.6 million books worth around 22 million euros were sold in the week before Sant Jordi.

In addition, there are six million roses that cost up to five euros - this is also a very important day for the florists.

Protected by a plastic case in the colors of the Catalan flag, they resist rain and wind.

For booksellers and florists, the feast day of Saint George, the patron saint of Catalonia, has been an ideal combination for almost a century.

The legend tells how the fearless knight George rescued the princess from the dragon's clutches.

From the beast's blood grew the reddest rose that ever existed.

Georg gave it to the princess, whom he did not marry.

In 1926 a publisher had brought the book day into being, which was moved in 1931 to the traditional St. George's Day, which in Spain at the time was also considered the anniversary of the death of the poet Miguel de Cervantes.

As many book sales in one day as in a month

“An entire town turns into a bookstore that day.

There's nothing quite like it anywhere in the world,” says Sergio Vila Sanjuán, cultural supplement manager at Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia and one of the best experts on the book market, whose origins in Barcelona date back hundreds of years.

"Booksellers sell as much in one day as they do in a month." Book purchases usually increase in the days before and sometimes make up a third of annual sales - more than the Christmas business.

Covid hit the industry all the harder: in 2020 the Sant Jordi only took place virtually during the lockdown, in 2021 with strict access restrictions.