According to the traditional folklore, Saint George was a Roman soldier who was born in Cappadocia (Turkey). Saint George, who served under Emperor Diocletian, refused to execute a decree obligating him to hunt down Christians in the territory of the Roman empire. And as a result, he was martyred and decapitated by his fellow Romans. He was venerated as a Saint from a very early date in the Eastern area of the Empire and shortly afterwards fantastic stories associated with him began to appear.

The legend of Saint George and the Dragon became popular throughout Europe around the 9th century and was recorded by the Archbishop of Genoa Jacobus de Varagine, in his book "The Golden Legend". In that version, at any rate, the story takes place in Libya.

The most popular legend about Saint George in Catalonia says that in Montblanc (Conca de Barberà) there lived a dragon who wreaked havoc amongst the population and the livestock. One person was chosen by a lottery to be sacrificed in order to appease the monster. One day chance fell upon the king's daughter, who would have died had it not been for the appearance of a handsome knight in shining armor who came and slayed the dragon. The same legend is repeated with slight variations in the folklore of England, Portugal, Greece and other countries.

Initially, Saint George was linked to the realm of knights and courtly love, which might explain the custom of giving a rose as a gift on the day the Saint is celebrated. According to some versions this tradition dates back to the Feria de los Enamorados, which was celebrated in Barcelona in the 15th century. It can be safely affirmed, however, that in those times roses were already being given out to women who attended the St. George's day mass at the Chapel of Sant Jordi at the Palau de la Generalitat.

World Book Day is much more recent. According to some sources, it was first celebrated on 7 October, 1926 in commemoration of Miguel de Cervantes' birth. The original idea came from Vicent Clavel Andrés, who proposed it to the Barcelona Books Council (Cámara Oficial del Libro de Barcelona). Not long afterwards, in 1930, the date was changed to 23 April, the day Cervantes, and other universally acclaimed authors such as William Shakespeare and Garcilaso de la Vega, died.

Other renowned authors also died or were born on this day, such as Josep Pla, Maurice Druon, K. Laxness, Vladimir Nabokov and Manuel Mejía Vallejo. In a general conference that took place in Paris on 15 November 1995, UNESCO made April 23 World Book and Copyright Day, in celebration of literature.