The Día del Libro: Book discounts, free roses, and writing ‘Don Quixote’ by hand

Instituto Cervantes will celebrate International Book Day in April with its own Día del Libro, to be held on April 22, Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati.

International Book Day is actually observed on April 23, which is also St. George's Day. In Catalonia (where the Día del Libro began) people give each other books and roses on this day—roses for lovers and in honor of the saint, and books in recognition of the fact that William Shakespeare and Spain's own Miguel de Cervantes both died on April 23, 1616.

According to Instituto Cervantes, Día del Libro will be celebrated on April 22 with thousands of books to be sold at a 20% discount at the Ayala Triangle Gardens.

Every book purchase will entitle the buyer to a free rose.

According to Instituto Cervantes in a press release, the event will also feature poetry recitals and dance performances; book launches and a balagtasan hosted by the Komisyon Sa Wikang Filipino; a photo contest; story-telling sessions, painting workshops and games for children; and “The Book Stop,” a pop-up library.

Other highlights of the day are:

The inauguration of an exhibit featuring 50 life-size reproductions of masterpieces currently in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

"The Rewriting of Don Quijote"—in which 500 volunteers will each have two minutes to write a few sentences of Cervantes' masterpiece by hand. According to the Instituto, the writing chain will start at 11 a.m. and end at 10 p.m., with the final book to be kept in the Instituto Cervantes library. People who wish to be a part of the projects can join the same day; no prior registration required. They will also receive a rose for their contribution.

An exhibit on Chilean writer Gonzalo Rojas (1916-2011), one of the great Latin American poets of the 20th century, by the Chilean Embassy.

La Noche de los Libros, for which the Instituto "will provide free entertainment for an entire evening of leisure and activities, including a feast of Spanish food, games, jazz music, a poetry recital, free Spanish classes."

A free concert at 7 p.m. by the Manila Symphony Orchestra, which will perform classical Spanish and Filipino pieces.  

Instituto Cervantes will be giving out hundreds of books for free.

Admission to the Día del Libro is free. For more information, call (632) 526-1482 or visit the Instituto Cervantes de Manila's website and Facebook page. — BM, GMA News