On 30 November, Scottish People celebrate St
Andrew’s Day.
The Scottish flag is the cross of St Andrew, also
known as the Saltire. It is said to be one of the
oldest national flags of any country, dating back at
least to the 12th Century.
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The St Andrew's flag - or the Saltire - is
flown all over Scotland,
but the man and his day are often
neglected. However, St Andrew's Day
celebrations on the 30th November are
growing in popularity and, from
next year, it will be a public holiday in
Scotland.
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St. Andrew
Andrew was a brother
of the apostle Peter
and a follower of
John the Baptist. Like
his brother he was
a fisherman. Andrew
immediately
recognized Jesus as the
Messiah and
later was chosen by Him to be one of
His Twelve Apostles.
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St Andrew was one of the Twelve Apostles
and brother of Simon Peter. He was a
fisherman by trade who lived in Galilee
(present day Israel)
The Bible tells us that one day when Andrew
and Peter were fishing, Jesus called to them
and said ‘Follow me and I will make you
fishers of men
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Andrew was present at the miracle of the loaves
and fishes, the Last Supper, he witnessed the
Ascension and he beheld the risen Jesus. Andrew
shared in the graces and gifts of the first
Pentecost and he helped establish the Faith.
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St Andrew: The Missionary
After Jesus died on the cross, Andrew travelled the world
telling people all about Jesus and Heaven.
When he was in Greece he was sentenced to death on The Cross
by The Romans as they didn’t agree with his beliefs. Andrew
told them he was not good enough to die in the same way as
Jesus so he was crucified on an X shaped Cross.
Some say he was crucified upside down so he could only see the
sky. Some people believe that is why the St Andrew’s Cross is
on a blue background to represent the sky.
Legend has it that
20000 people
listened to him
preach while he was
dying.
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St Andrew
One legend says an angel appeared to a
monk called Rule in AD345 who told him
to move Andrew’s remains ‘to the ends of
the Earth’ to keep them safe. He took a
few bones and teeth and set sail. He was
shipwrecked and ended up on the east
coast of Scotland at the town we now call
St Andrew’s.
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St Andrew’s Cathedral
Whatever the truth,
a Cathedral was
built in the town in 1160 and
it took 158 years to
complete!
The ruins can still be seen
today – including St Rule’s
Tower
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Why the Saltire?
Legend has it that in AD832, before King Angus
McFergus led his troops into battle against a
much larger English Army, he had a dream.
St Andrew appeared to him and told him he would
win if his men carried a blue flag with a white
cross.
Another legend says a white cross made from
clouds appeared in the sky before the battle
Angus promised that he would make Andrew the
Patron Saint if he won the battle – he won!
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The Patron Saint of Scotland
St Andrew was the unofficial patron saint of Scotland by
the year 1000 but he was officially recognised on 6 April
1320 at the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath.
After years of fighting with England, Some noblemen,
including Robert The Bruce, wrote a letter to Pope John
XXII asking for Scotland to be recognised as a free country
Andrew was named as the official Patron Saint because he
was the Saint who brought Christianity to Scotland – a sure
sign that Scotland was held in very high regard by God!
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Facts, Customs and Traditions
St. Andrew's Day is connected with Advent,
which begins on the first Sunday after
November 30.
St. Andrew's Day marks the opening of
Christmas Markets
Many Midwinter customs and folk superstitions
are also connected to St. Andrew's day.
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Around midnight on Nov. 29, the
day before St Andrew's Day, it
was traditional for girls to pray to
St. Andrew for a husband.
They would make a wish and
look for a sign that they had been
heard.
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A girl wishing to marry could:
Throw a shoe at a door. If the toe of the shoe
pointed in the direction of the exit, then she
would marry and leave her parents' house
within a year.
Peel a whole apple without breaking the peel
and throw the peel over the shoulder. If the
peel formed a letter of the alphabet, then this
suggested the name of her future groom.
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St Andrew’s Day
St Andrew’s Day is celebrated around the
World in Christian Countries.
In Scotland we celebrate with traditional
songs, poems, dances and food like
shortbread and oatcakes.
We might decorate our homes with
tartan and thistles – which is the
National emblem of Scotland.
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How, you may ask, did such a thorny
flower become a national emblem ?
Well, so the story goes, a very long time ago when
Scotland was ravaged by Viking invaders, a group of
Scottish fighting men were resting overnight in a field.
Unknown to them, a raiding party was preparing to attack
this group of Scots, under cover of darkness.
As the attacking Vikings approached the encamped Scots,
they stood on a patch of Thistles with their bare feet
and, of course, let out cries of pain as the thorns dug
deep into their soles and toes.
The Scots, having been awakened by this rammy, were
able to fight off the attackers.
So, from that day , the Thistle has been adopted as
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Scotland‘s National Emblem.
Remember…..
• This is a day to be proud to be Scottish and to
remember that Scots are known as some of the
friendliest people in the world.
• We can remember the old battles against other
countries but know that Scotland is a better place
because of the all the different people, cultures and
religions that make us a great country!
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What do you love about
Scotland? What makes you
proud?
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