England is not alone on St.George's Day.
Catalonia celebrates the day of its patron saint, as do several countries and cities as diverse as Rio, Georgia and Genoa. In Barcelona, ladies are presented flowers by their partners and men receive books.
Each April, the newsstands of the city begin to bulge with the type of books which are unlikely to win awards. They are photo-led one-offs aimed at the lowest common denominator. Recent years have seen feeble biographies of Lionel Messi or tomes on Barca's six-trophy haul of 2009. This year's efforts focus on the history of the Clasico between Barca and Madrid. The books don't pretend to be objective and most of the photos are from the last three years when Barca have recorded some of their most memorable and emphatic victories against their greatest foes from the Bernabéu.
Visiting Madrilenos are unlikely to be buyers.
The timing of the book is everything and Spain can think of little else but the prospect of four Clasico matches in 18 days.
When Barca played Shakhtar Donetsk last week their fans sang about Madrid. When they beat Almeria at the weekend they sang about Jose Mourinho in none too endearing terms. Players are questioned constantly about it and Guardiola has banned them from doing one-on-one media interviews. It's a wise move, for their words will always be twisted by the media in Spain's two biggest cities which both have very different agendas.
The Madrid press try to portray Barca as arrogant and conceited in their success. The Catalans portray Madrid as green-eyed monsters who will go to any length to unsettle what they consider to be the best team in the world, ever. It's all playground stuff. Stories that Madrid are refusing to play Shakira songs in the Bernabeu because of her relationship with Gerard Pique are relished, with the media forgetting that players of both sides actually get on well.
The first game this Saturday at the Bernabeu in the league is the least important. You wouldn't have said that a month ago when Madrid saw it as their chance to challenge Barca for the title, but Mourinho's side have dropped points and the league is all but Barca's - for a third consecutive season. Saturday's game offers the Whites an opportunity to avenge November's humiliating 5-0 reverse at the Camp Nou - or just to avoid losing a game to Pep Guardiola's pre-eminent side.
The emphasis will then shift to the Copa del Rey final next Wednesday in one of Europe's most atmospheric stadiums, Valencia's sheer-sided Mestalla. Over 70,000 Barca fans applied for the club's 22,000 ticket allocation and the figures were similar in Madrid. That so many fans from each club will be watching makes it a Clasico with a difference - there are just a few hundred travelling fans when the giants meet in league matches.
For Madrid, it's a chance to win a first trophy in three years against the old enemy. For Barca a chance to reinforce their hegemony.
The pair will then meet in the semi-finals of the Champions League. They last met in Europe in 2002, but Madrid progressed as expected against a less than spectacular Barca side. It's different now. The two sides are arguably the best two teams in the world. In Messi and Ronaldo they have the best two players. In Mourinho and Guardiola, they have two coaches who are proven winners. They share many similarities, but they are defined by their differences. The Portuguese coach will use the media to set agendas and score points. The Catalan would rather the media didn't exist. Mourinho will goad anyone, but not Guardiola. He wouldn't get a rise if he did, so he doesn't go there.
Both talk of their current jobs in the short term but never talk of staying around and building legacies. There's too much energy burning through the brains of both to think of them remaining where they are for five years.
Madrid fans have been greatly encouraged by their side's recent good form in which they overcame 'the curse' of falling at the last 16 stage in the Champions League in each of the last six seasons. Ronaldo has never been anything but an unqualified success since joining the club in 2009, but the same couldn't be said of Kaka and Karim Benzema, Madrid's two other big name signings two years ago. The recent form of both has made fans change their opinions and they feel that the Whites are coming good at just the right time.
Something has to give.
Johan Cruyff, a figure of power without a position in Catalonia, thinks it improbable that one team will win all four games. Besides, they don't need to. The Copa del Rey is the one game which needs to be won, as either side will settle for an aggregate win in the Champions League.
Spain awaits and there's no escaping Clasico fever.