Did you know that up until just a few years ago that Scotland was the only nation in which its national flag the Saltire was not flown on its National Day?
Today the Saltire it is the Scottish national flag to be flown by all individuals and companies in Scotland to show their national pride in being Scottish. It is also now flown on all Scottish government buildings if there is only one flag pole and if there are two then the Union Jack flag of the UK is also flown also. On UK gov't buildings in Scotland they will fly the Union Jack and only if there is another flagpole will they fly the Saltire. The only exception to rule regarding national flag etiquette was finally made in 2002 after Scottish Parliament complained to Westminster that Scotland was the only nation where its national flag was not flown on government buildings on its National Day. So now in Scotland on November 30th- St Andrew's day where there is only one flag pole on a UK building in Scotland the Union Jack gives way to the Saltire. However, the Edinburgh Castle (and all military building/forts in Scotland as elsewhere in the UK) is a unique situation as it is still a government military facility and will only fly the Union Jack, much to the anger of many Scots throughout Scotland, especially when the military has removed the use the Union Jack in their recruitment material in Scotland. A double standard?
But why the St. Andrew's flag?
Each of the member countries of the United Kingdom have their own patron saint: Wales' St David, Ireland's St Patrick and England's St George. Scotland along with a number of other countries including Russia and Greece all have embraced St Andrew as their patron saint, he who was "first called". In Scotland there are many legends surrounding how he became their patron saint.
One legend suggests that in the tenth century his relics were brought to Scotland from Constantinople mysteriously to what is now St Andrews located in the Kingdom of Fife on the Scotland's northeast coast. The relics were brought legend claims by Regulus and presented to the Pictish King Oengus mac Fergus (900's). Two surviving manuscripts neither of which are archived in Scotland (London/Paris) elude to this particular legend. However, finding this person in the historic record has eluded historians. There was an Irish monk by this name, referred to as St Rule, was with St. Columba expelled from northern Ireland in the late 500's/early 600's not 900's. There maybe some truth to this because legend also suggests that Acca, Bishop of Hexham in the 700's brought them to a Pictish King and in doing so he created a see at what is now St. Andrews. Though other legends believe he didn't deliver them to St Andrews but to a Pictish King in the region of Galloway, the southwest corner of Scotland where Scotland first experienced Christianity with the appearance of St. Ninian in the 400's. That is if Bede is to be believed and hadn't tired to put a Saxon spin on the Chirstian religious history discounting the Celtic church. Either legend allows for the early Christian church and St Andrew's relics to date the church much to a much earlier period which is all important.
However as you will see with the video below, a more traditional and accepted legend is that during a battle between the Picts and the English at Athelstaneford in what is now East Lothian, the Pict King saw a cloud in the shape of the saltire... the St Andrew's cross with its crossed bars diagonally representing the cross on which St. Andrew was martyred. He declared if they were victorious then St Andrew would become the patron saint of Scotland. And they were which explains why they chose a blue background and a white (purity) cross.
Finally one legend to explain why St Andrew was chosen ties back to the Synod of Whitby in 664 when there was a clash between the Roman Church of Northumbria and the Celtic Church of Iona as to when the proper date of Easter was, amongst other church related issues (ie the tonsure and marriage rites of the Celts which clashed with their neighbors to the south). When the Roman Church prevailed the Celtic church licked its wounds and pulled out of Lindesfarne and Northumbria heading back over the border concentrating on Scotland. And as the Roman church had revered Peter, some believe the Scots being contrary (who would have thunk) decided that Peter's brother Andrew, the first called, would have preference in Scotland.
St Andrew's day is now celebrated in Scotland on November 30th and is a bank holiday. Traditionally St Andrew's day marks the beginning of the Christmas season in Scotland, however like in the US that has been creeping further back to make a longer shopping season. It also is usually the beginning of Advent on or nearest Sunday to November 30th.
One tradition though maybe not practiced by modern misses is that just before midnight on the 29th of November young women prayed to St Andrews for a husband and would look for a sign in coming days to know if she had been heard. She might also throw a shoe at the door and if the shoe toes faced the door she would be leaving her family home within the year, supposedly through marriage. Though it is a bank holiday it is not a full "national" holiday probably because it only applies to Scotland, though the day is usually celebrated with food, dancing, bagpipes and all things Scottish.
So next time when you attend your local Highland Games or watch Tartan Army (Scottish sports fans) cheer on the Scottish national team at soccer or rugby you will know those blue painted faces with Scottish Saltires have nothing to do with Mel Gibson or Braveheart and everything to do with St. Andrew, one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, who was 'first called" along with his brother St. Peter.