Day 86 - St. Andrew's Day

On the 30th day of November, the Scots take a national holiday to celebrate their patron saint, St. Andrew. Having Scottish blood in me from my paternal grandmother's side (thus the curly hair, the poetry writing and the sarcastic wit), it seems only appropriate that I should get the day off too...or, at least I should write about it if I must work.

The St. Andrew's Cross (also called a saltire) is the diagonal cross you see on the Flag of Scotland, and is one of three crosses that make up the Union Jack. The others are the red cross of St. George -- the patron saint of England -- and the cross of St. Patrick -- the patron saint of Ireland.


At the time the flag was created, Wales was part of the Kingdom of England, so it wasn't included. But Wales 'patron saint is St. David, and in case you're curious, the St. David's cross and flag is to the left. There was an interesting article in The Atlantic about the possibility of changing the Union Jack, if you want to see ideas for what a new flag could look like.

Now, back to St. Andrew's Day. Andrews was Jesus' first disciple and was baptised by John the Baptist. It is thought he was crucified on November 30, 60 AD and was tied to an X-shaped cross. He was noted for his generosity, believing you should give as much as possible to those in need. Today, committing acts of kindness are often part of St. Andrew's Day celebrations.

The early Picts and Scots modelled them selves on St. Andrew. In the 800s, King Angus of the Picts was preparing to battle the Saxons. The night before the battle, he had a dream in which he was told he would see a cross in the sky and would then be able to conquer the Saxons in the name of that cross. The next day, the saltire is said to have blazed across the sky, and the Picts won their battle. From then on, the cross became the symbol of the nation.

Eilean Donan Castle ablazened with the St. Andrew's flag. Source: https://twitter.com/scotfoodawards/status/539187522308685824