St Andrew's Day - 30th November

Saint Andrew's Day, is the feast day of Andrew the Apostle. It is celebrated on 30 November. Saint Andrew's Day marks the beginning of the traditional Advent devotion of the Saint Andrew Christmas Novena - a time of devotional prayer that lasts several days. Saint Andrew's Day (Scots: Saunt Andra's Day, Scottish Gaelic: Là Naomh Anndrais) is Scotland's official national day.

He is also the patron saint of Cyprus, Greece (City of Patras), Romania, Russia, Ukraine, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, San Andres Island (Colombia), Saint Andrew (Barbados) and Tenerife (Spain) - blimey he must have been a busy man!

Why is he the patron saint of Scotland? There is no clear tale that answers this question.

One legend says that in the 9th Century King Angus in Scotland was preparing for a battle against the English. He was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Angus vowed that if granted victory he would appoint Andrew as the patron saint of Scotland. On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were said to have appeared. Angus and his combined force, emboldened by this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being inferior in numbers were victorious. Having interpreted the cloud phenomenon as representing the crux decussata upon which Andrew was crucified, Angus honoured his pre-battle pledge and duly appointed Andrew as the patron saint of Scotland. The white saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend.

St Andrew's Day celebrates the very best of Scottish culture with lots of delicious food and drink, music and ceilidh dancing, with parties going into the wee small hours of the night.

Scotland's food and drink plays a big part on St Andrew's Day. For starters, the traditional soup dish cullen skink is often served; made of smoked haddock, potatoes and onions. When it comes to the main course, there can only one dish to celebrate Scotland's patron saint, haggis, neeps (turnip), and tatties (mashed potato). Dessert is a dish best served hot especially on cold winter nights, round off your feast with clootie dumpling and custard. A traditional Scottish dessert made of dried fruit, spices, oatmeal or breadcrumbs, flour, and beef suet. The word 'clootie' derives from the Old Scots word 'cloth' where the dumpling was traditionally boiled.

In Scotland the day is also seen as the start of a season of Scottish winter festivals encompassing Saint Andrew's Day, Hogmanay and Burns Night. There are week-long celebrations in the town of St Andrews and in some other Scottish cities. The Scots are a patriotic nation and they know how to celebrate!

Andrew the Apostle was born between 5 and 10 AD in Bethsaida, in Galilee. Both Andrew and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade. In the Gospels of Matthew and Mark it is recorded that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, observed Simon and Andrew fishing, and called them to discipleship. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah.

The Gospels tell that Andrew was present on some important occasions, for example Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes, and of course he was present at the Last Supper. Andrew was one of the four disciples who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus' return at the "end of the age". Andrew supposedly preached in Scythia and along the Black Sea and the Dnieper river as far as Kyiv, and from there he travelled to Novgorod. Hence, he became a patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia.

Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion at the city of Patras (Patræ) in Achaea, in AD 60. Early texts describe Andrew as bound, not nailed, to a Latin cross of the kind on which Jesus is said to have been crucified; yet a tradition developed that Andrew had been crucified on a cross of the form called crux decussata (X-shaped cross, or "saltire"), now commonly known as a "Saint Andrew's Cross" — supposedly at his own request, as he deemed himself unworthy to be crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus had been.

My favourite tales of St Andrew come from Cyprus. Cypriot tradition holds that a ship which was transporting Andrew went off course and ran aground. Upon coming ashore, Andrew struck the rocks with his staff at which point a spring of healing waters gushed forth. Using it, the sight of the ship's captain, who had been blind in one eye, was restored. Thereafter, the site became a place of pilgrimage and a fortified monastery.

Other pilgrimages are more recent. The story is told that in 1895, the son of a Maria Georgiou was kidnapped. Seventeen years later, Andrew appeared to her in a dream, telling her to pray for her son's return at the monastery. Living in Anatolia, she embarked on the crossing to Cyprus on a very crowded boat. As she was telling her story during the journey, one of the passengers, a young Dervish priest, became more and more interested. Asking if her son had any distinguishing marks, he stripped off his clothes to reveal the same marks and mother and son were thus reunited.

St. Andrew is traditionally portrayed with a long forked beard, a cross, and a book.