Last updated on November 28, 2020
Today is St. Andrew’s Day! Think of it like St. Patrick’s Day, but instead of Ireland we celebrate Scotland…and Romania, Russia, Cyprus, Greece, the “Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople” and apparently parts of Colombia and Barbados. Celebrations have also occurred on this evening historically in Germany and Austria.
But mostly, Scotland.
And while the day has cultural importance, it’s also a part of the Christian calendar. As an evangelical Christian, it wasn’t until the last few years that I was even aware of how saints canonized by Roman Catholics and the Eastern Orthodox shaped the annual Christian calendar. And while I don’t subscribe to traditional Catholic doctrines of praying to or venerating saints and relics, I have definitely come to see great value in remembering them and learning about them. They provide examples to follow and a reservoir of stories to inspire and teach. And in a world that tends to elevate the superficial and showy over the substantive and humble, we would all do well to return to the stories of saints and martyrs.
St. Andrew’s Day specifically points to the apostle, Andrew, the brother of Peter. We don’t hear a ton about Andrew in the Bible. He’s mentioned in the following passages: Matthew 4:18; 10:2, Mark 1:16, 1:29, 3:18, 13:3, 13:18, Luke 6:14, John 1:40, 1:44, 6:8, 12:22, and Acts 1:13. Check out this video from Catholic Online for more about St. Andrew. Church tradition taches that he went and shared the Gospel around the shores of the Black Sea, visiting Greece and Turkey, where he was martyred by crucifixion. He was bound rather than nailed to an X-shaped cross, which explains (indirectly) why Scotland’s flag has the white x.
Here’s the Collect for the Feast of St. Andrew according to the Book of Common Prayer (p. 624)
I tried finding some ideas for how people celebrate St. Andrew’s Day and have included some links below. Like St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, some people in Scotland and elsewhere get a day off work and traditional Scottish recipes are on the menu. Though I have no clue where those of us in the states would find it, you are apparently supposed to serve “haggis neeps and tatties” for dinner (you’re only allowed to say that in a Scottish accent). You might also look up traditional Scottish dances and music (especially anything involving bagpipes!).
Personally, I plan to watch Braveheart with my face painted blue and white while holding a wooden spear twice as long as a man! If you can picture me doing that…you’re welcome.
Happy St. Andrew’s Day! (or in Scottish Gaelic: Latha fèill Anndrais sona dhuibh)
Links to learn more:
Comments are closed.