St Andrew’s Day is celebrated on 30th November.
As the biting cold of winter approaches and the dark nights draw in let’s raise a warm toast with Scotland to celebrate St Andrews Day.
Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland and has been for over 1000 years. Saint Andrew is believed to have been a fisherman and one of Jesus’s first Apostles along with his brother Peter. He was crucified by the Romans on an X-shaped cross at Patras, Greece as he did not believe he was worthy of dying on a cross like that of Jesus. Hundreds of years later his remains were moved to Constantinople. In the 13th century, his remains were then moved to Amalfi, Italy where they are still kept today.
It is believed a Greek monk, known as St Rule, had a vision where he was ordered to take a few relics of Andrew to ‘the ends of the earth’ for safe keeping. He set sail and ended up on the coast of Fife at a town now known as St Andrews.
In 832 AD, King Angus of the Picts was preparing for battle against the Northumbrians in a village now known as Athelstaneford in East Lothian. St Andrew is believed to have appeared to him in a dream and told him he would see a cross in the sky the next morning and victory would be his. King Angus defeated the Northumbrians and the cross of St Andrew or the ‘saltire’ was taken as the national emblem and flag of the Scots.
St Andrew was first recognised as the official patron saint of Scotland in 1320 at the signing of the Declaration of Arbroath – an appeal to the Pope by Scottish noblemen asserting Scotland’s independence.
St Andrew is also the patron saint of Greece, Russia, Romania and Barbados.
The Flag of Scotland is also known as St Andrews’ Cross or the Saltire. As the national flag, it is the correct flag to be flown by individuals and businesses. It is also flown from Scottish government buildings. The flag of Scotland has St Andrew’s cross with a light blue sky background. Through the centuries, various shades of blue were used for the background of the Flag of Scotland. Navy blue was used and this is the colour used in the Union Flag. Manufacturers were producing the Flag of Scotland with different shades of blue. In 2003 the Scottish government agreed to adopt the light blue (pantone 300) as the standard background for the Saltire.