St Andrew's Day

Saint Andrew's day 

The 30th of November is Saint Andrew’s day, Scotland’s patron. It is a celebration which Scottish people feel a lot, be them living in Scotland or abroad.

Saint Andres was one of the first Christian Apostles. He was Saint Peter’s brother and he became the patron of Scotland in the tenth century.

It is believed that Saint Andrew died on a diagonal cross, which the Romans sometimes used for their death executions. 

Having Saint Andrew as Scotland's Patron gave Scotland several advantages: because he was the brother of Saint Peter, founder of the Church, the Scots were able to appeal to the Pope in 1320 (The Declaration of Arbroath) for protection against the attempts of English kings to conquer the Scots

It is common belief that after his death some of his bones had been brought to St. Andrews, in Fife, during the 4^th century.

Saint Andrew’s cross is one of the main symbols of Scotland, this is why it has been adopted as the symbol of the national flag, on a blue background which symbolizes the Scottish sky (probably on a rare sunny day…).

Nowadays Saint Andrew’s day is related to the Advent, which starts on the Sunday right after the 30^th of November. It also means the start of Christmas shopping and Christmas markets, although many people tend to anticipate them to a month before…consumerism is a worldwide habit, and it doesn’t spare traditional Scotland.

In the past, on the 29^th of November the tradition wanted unmarried girls to pray St. Andrews to gift them with a husband. In order for the request to be successful, they had to throw a show on a door. If the shoe pointed towards the exit, it meant that a wedding was going to take place within one year. Funny how always religion tends to mix up with superstition.

Of course St. Andrew has always been celebrated the ‘Scottish way’, with traditional yummy food, ceilidhs and drinks.

 It wasn’t a bank holiday until 2006, when the Scottish Parliament recognized Saint Andrews’ day as a bank holiday.

Here is a link to a traditionally Scottish St Andrew's Day Menu: http://www.scotland.org/celebrate-scotland/recipes/collections/st-andrews-day-menu

Saint Andrew and his relics at St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral in Edinburgh  provides Scots with a special link to Amalfi in Italy and Patras in Greece (where two Cathedrals named after the saint also hold his relics). The many St Andrew Societies worldwide, set up originally as self-help organisations for Scots who had fallen on hard times, form a network of Scots who are all united under the Saltire Cross of Saint Andrew. They give Scotland a European and worldwide dimension.

GIUBAL