St. Andrew / St. Andrew's Day

This is a special overview I scribed from memory. By no means am I a historian.. just a person like you who loves Scotland!

St. Andrew was not a Scotsman, but his legacy has long been celebrated in throughout the world.  On November 30th, many of us gather in honor of St. Andrew. There have been feasts and celebrations in his honor for years.

Andrew the Apostle was born over 2,000 years ago in Galilee.  Like his brother St. Peter, he was a fisherman. Being men of the water, Jesus had called them "fishers of men".. He was known to be that generous and caring person we'd all want to be (or be in his company). Andrew left his job and family to follow Jesus. After Jesus' death, Andrew continued spreading Jesus' word for thousands of miles. It's rumored that he had gone as far as Ukraine in his mission. Andrew met his untimely death in Patras (Greece). He was crucified on an x-shaped cross, as he felt unworthy to be on the same type of cross which Jesus died on.  This cross is known as "St. Andrew's cross", or the "Saltire".  

There's speculation as to how St. Andrew's is associated to Scotland as he never stepped foot there.  A popular account is that a monk named St. Regulus (St. Rule from Patras) had a dream telling him to hide bones of St. Andrew in the far corners of Earth.  Some of these bones ultimately made it to that far corner of those ages, which was in Fife, hence the name St. Andrews, Scotland. This is the same place where others make the pilgrimage to its famous golf course. 

Another account involving the Saltire was hundreds years later.. that on the eve of a battle in Scotland, Angus Mac Fergus, (King of the Picts) dreamt that if he saw a cross in the sky the next day, his army would be victorious.  The next morning, a Saltire appeared in the sky and his army prevailed. From then on, he ensured that Saint Andrew and the Saltire were recognized by the Scots. But it was not until April 6th, 1320.. the most important day in Scottish history, signaling independence..when the Declaration of Arbroath was signed, also recognizing the Andrew as the official saint of Scotland. The rest is history! Make sure to celebrate St. Andrew on November 30th in your own special way!

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