St Andrew's Day: Who is St Andrew, why does Scotland celebrate St Andrew's Day and St Andrew's Day greetings

St Andrew's Day falls on November 30 and is celebrated in Scotland, but why do we have St Andrew's Day and why is he a saint?
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St Andrew's day falls on November 30 every year to celebrate the patron saint of Scotland, Andrew the Apostle.

St Andrew has left a lasting influence in Scotland, with his saltire cross featuring on Scotland's national flag and one of their top universities bearing his name.

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Here’s all you need to know about St Andrew, who he was and why Scotland celebrates St Andrew's Day.

November 30 is a bank holiday in Scotland to celebrate St Andrew's Day.November 30 is a bank holiday in Scotland to celebrate St Andrew's Day.
November 30 is a bank holiday in Scotland to celebrate St Andrew's Day.

Who is Saint Andrew?

Saint Andrew is said to have been born in Galilee, Israel between 5 AD and 10 AD and died on November 30, 60AD.

He is the brother of Saint Peter and son of Jonah and grew up in Galilee under the Roman Empire.

Both Andrew and his brother Peter became two of Jesus's twelve disciplines when he called upon them whilst fishing on the Sea of Galilee.

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Andrew features heavily in the New Testament and ended up being one of the most important apostles following Jesus.

He was sentenced to death by the Roman Empire and requested to be crucified on a X-shaped diagonal Latin cross instead of a straight cross, to differentiate himself from Jesus.

This cross would become known as the St Andrew's Cross.

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Why does Scotland celebrate St Andrews Day?

Scotland declared St Andrew their patron saint in 1320, in line with when they declared independence.

His story has influenced Scottish society and this is reflected in his saltire cross featuring on Scotland's national flag.

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The day has always been celebrated on November 30 every year.

In 2006 the Scottish government made November 30 a bank holiday to honour the patron saint who symbolises Scottish history and culture.

Why is St Andrew's Day celebrated on the 30th?

November 30th is apparently the date that St Andrew was crucified by the Romans on a diagonal Latin cross in 60AD.

What do you say on St Andrew's Day?

That’s Scottish Gaelic greeting for Happy St Andrews Day is Latha Naomh Anndra sona dhuibh!

What countries celebrate St Andrew's Day?

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St Andrew's Day is celebrated on November 30 and considered a national holiday across Europe.

Saint Andrew is not only the patron saint of Scotland, he is also the patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia.

Where are St Andrew's bones?

St Andrew remains are located in a few resting places.

In the 13th Century his remains were moved to the Amalfi coast in Italy, where most of them still remain today.

However, some bones were moved to Scotland in the 16th century including his tooth, kneecap, arm and finger bones.

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While his shoulder blade was given to Scotland by the Archbishop of Amalfi in 1879 and more bones were gifted by Pope Paul VI in 1969.

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