Saint Andrew's Day

Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, and St. Andrew's Day is celebrated by Scots around the world on the 30th November.St. Andrew was one of the Twelve Apostles and brother of Simon Peter (Saint Peter). He was a fisherman by trade, who lived in Galilee.

St. Andrew is believed to have died on a diagonally transversed cross, which the Romans sometimes used for executions. The cross St. Andrew was crucified on has been adopted as the national flag of Scotland, later incorporated into the Union Flag. The blue stands for the sky.

Traditions

Around midnight on Nov. 29, the day before St Andrew's Day, it was traditional for girls to pray to St. Andrew for a husband. They would make a wish and look for a sign that they had been heard.

A girl wishing to marry could:

  • Throw a shoe at a door. If the toe of the shoe pointed in the direction of the exit, then she would marry and leave her parents' house within a year.
  • Peel a whole apple without breaking the peel and throw the peel over the shoulder. If the peel formed a letter of the alphabet, then this suggested the name of her future groom.
Bank Holiday

In January 2007, the St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act was given royal assent, making 30 November (or the nearest Monday if a weekend) a bank holiday in Scotland. However, instead of being a full public holiday, it is a voluntary public holiday.

Source: Scotland en Unsplash

National emblem 

A legend tells of how a group of Scots were sleeping in a field when a group of Vikings crept up to attack. Fortunately one of the Vikings stood on a thistle, whose prickles penetrated through to his foot and made him yell with pain. His cries woke the sleeping Scots who were able to fight off their attackers. It is said that from this day the thistle has been adopted as Scotland's national emblem.

Comments

José said…
Saint Andrew’s Day



Hi Mr. “Posh”. My comment is short today. Don’t worry.



I enjoy with your traditions. I think it’s the best everybody and every country. If the toe of the shoe pointed in the direction of the exit, the girl will get married. However, it’s difficult that the toe of the shoe pointed exactly with the exit. Then, might be correct that the toe of the shoe was in the same direction inside 180 degrees? Would be right that the shoe pointed in the direction of the exit but face sown? It’s very important because we are playing with the future of people. LOL



The second tradition is fun too. When I was young I used to peel an apple without breaking the peel. I don’t know the reason but I remember it well. Nevertheless, for the peel forms a letter of the alphabet, you need much imagination. I suppose that the girl would see the letter of her boyfriend’s name sometimes or always.



On the other hand, the legend that I read about national emblem of Scotland told that the group that attacked Scotland people was Danish people, instead of Vikings. Must I understand that Danish people are Vikings? That is, when you said Vikings you mean Danish people?



See you.
Graham said…
Hi José,

The traditions mentioned in the post have died out; which is a pity.

To be honest, I hate most of the traditions in Spain. They all seem to revolve around some perverse cruelty to animals. Perhaps one day, this country will rid itself of these shameful, barbaric acts.



I enjoy your traditions. I think it’s the best thing about each country.

If the toe of the shoe pointed in the direction of the exit, the girl will get married. However, it’s difficult that the toe of the shoe pointed exactly towards the exit. Then, it might be correct that the toe of the shoe was in the same direction inside 180 degrees?....

The second tradition is fun too. When I was young I used to peel an apple without breaking the peel. I don’t know the reason but I remember it well. Nevertheless, if the peel is to form a letter of the alphabet, you need a lot of imagination. I suppose that the girl would see the letter of her boyfriend’s name sometimes or always.

On the other hand, the legend that I read about the national emblem of Scotland said that the group that attacked the Scots was the Danes, instead of Vikings. Must I understand that Danish people are Vikings? I mean, when you said Vikings you mean Danish people?