What is Saint Andrew’s Day?
Each year St Andrew’s day, or the feast day of Saint Andrew, is celebrated in Scotland on 30th November.
St Andrew has officially been the patron saint of Scotland since 1320 when Scotland became independent with the Declaration of Arbroath.
St Andrew is not only the patron saint of Scotland; we share our patron saint with Romania, Greece, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland, among others.
A patron saint is regarded as a protector or guide of a nation, place or person. https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/st-andrews-day-november-30-22264412
Saint Andrew Source
Who was Saint Andrew?
Although not a huge amount is known about Saint Andrew, according to the Christian faith Andrew the apostle was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. He was also the brother of Simon Peter, who would become Saint Peter.
He was born in what is now known as Israel, probably between 5 and 10AD. St Andrew was one of the first disciples of Jesus: according to the Gospels of Mark and Matthew, Andrew and Peter were fishermen, who were said to have followed Jesus immediately when he said to them “I will make you fishers of men”.
Saint Andrew is said to have travelled far and wide during his life to preach the teachings of Jesus. It is also alleged that St Andrew was crucified on an ‘X’ shaped cross, which is why the Scottish flag (the Saint Andrew’s Cross) has a white cross on it.
How can I celebrate Saint Andrew’s Day?
St Andrew’s day can be celebrated by donning your kilt for a ceilidh (Scottish dancing) and listening to Scottish music, partaking of some Scottish food or a dram o’ whisky perhaps. There may be local events that you can join in with too – see the links below for some ideas:
Read more about Scottish History 📚
If you want to learn more about Scottish History, check out the shelves at Sighthill Campus at Dewey number 941 or search LibrarySearch – here are some examples of articles and books held within our treasure trove of a library catalogue 😊:
- Rowlands, E. W., & Masaccio. (2003). Masaccio Saint Andrew and the Pisa altarpiece. Getty Publications.
https://napier.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44NAP_INST/19n0mho/cdi_proquest_reports_199722299
- Carver, M. (2009). Early Scottish Monasteries and Prehistory: A Preliminary Dialogue. Scottish Historical Review, 88(2), 332–351. https://doi.org/10.3366/E0036924109000894 https://napier.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44NAP_INST/19n0mho/cdi_jstor_primary_27867579
- Fergusson, & Elliott, M. W. (2019). The history of Scottish theology. Volume II, From the early Enlightenment to the late Victorian era (Fergusson & M. W. (Mark W. . Elliott, Eds.; First edition.). Oxford University Press. https://napier.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44NAP_INST/n96pef/alma9923629314302111
- Scotland under her Early Kings: A History of the Kingdom to the Close of the Thirteenth Century; Vol. 1. (1862). Edmonston and Douglas. https://napier.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/44NAP_INST/n96pef/alma9923629314302111
Learn more about LibrarySearch here.
Sources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/20556587
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Andrew
https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/st-andrews-day-november-30-22264412
By Judy Wheeler
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