LET US CELEBRATE ST ANDREW’S DAY
HOPE YOU ARE HAVING A HAPPY ONE.
St Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland.
St Andrew
St Andrew is also one of the four major saints of the UK. The other three being, St George, Patron Saint of England, St Patrick of Ireland and St David of Wales.
St Andrew was born in Bethesda on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Both he and his brother Peter became disciples of Jesus. Andrew is said to have been martyred by being bound to an “X” shaped cross at Patras in Achea in Greece. This shape is now reflected in the Scottish flag, known as the Saltire. St Andrew has been recognized as the patron saint of Scotland since at least the ninth century.
St Andrew was a disciple of Jesus. Apparently, Scotland and England have always had a bit of rivalry. So as England had St George as Patron saint, Scotland thought what better Patron Saint than a kosher disciple of Jesus! 😉
Anyway, let us all stop for a moment and give thanks and praise to St Andrew and celebrate him.
Jean & Peter
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St Andrew, who was a fisherman and one of Jesus’ disciples, is credited with preaching the word of God across Greece and Asia Minor during the 1st century.
He was killed by Romans in the Greek city of Patras. He is said to have been crucified on an X-shaped cross, which would later become the Saltire symbol found in Scotland’s flag.
The Scottish flag with Saltire
St Andrew is also the patron saint of singers, spinsters, maidens, old maids, fishmongers and women seeking to become mothers.
Although mostly associated with Scotland St Andrew is also the patron saint of Romania, Russia, Ukraine and Greece. According to legend an angel supposedly told the Greek monk St Rule to take St Andrew’s remains to the “ends of the earth”.
Removing a tooth, arm, bone, kneecap and some fingers the monk left for Scotland. He was, however, shipwrecked off the east coast where he built a chapel to house the relics.
The settlement later became known as St Andrews.
St Andrew’s day is celebrated on the 30th November, and although it is a very old tradition – with national festivals dating back to the reign of Malcolm III (1034 – 1093) – it is only in recent times that the date was given the status of a national holiday.
St Andrew’s Day was first celebrated as an official bank holiday in Scotland in 2006.
The day is also marked in Barbados in celebration of the country’s independence.
The celebration of St Andrew’s day marks the beginning of the Scottish winter festivals. The celebrations culminate with Scottish poet Burns Night on January 25th.
Google has marked St Andrew’s day with a doodle since 2010.