Are the Anderson's descendants of Saint Andrew?

Join us as we take a look into who Saint Andrew was, and how he became Scotland’s patron saint.

Saint Andrew, also known as Andrew the Apostle, was one of the twelve apostles, or disciples, of Jesus. These were Jesus’ closest followers and preachers of his gospel, and it is believed that Andrew was the first of the twelve.

He was born at some point between AD 5 and AD 10 in Bethsaida, Galilee, which today is mostly located in upper Israel. He was the brother of Simon Peter, another of the twelve apostles, and both men were fishermen by trade on the Sea of Galilee.

Andrew never actually set foot in Scotland - so how did he end up as the country’s patron saint?

There are no clear answers to this question, but there are a couple of good stories that may or may not be true!

One of these legends is that the relics of St Andrew were brought to Scotland from Constantinople by St Rule to where the town of St Andrews stands today. Many devotees travelled to St Andrews on pilgrimage to venerate the relics of the saint, with bi-annual processions of the remains around the town.

Another story goes that King Óengus, or Angus, was preparing to lead his troops into battle in AD 832 near what is modern-day Athelstaneford in East Lothian. The Scots were outnumbered, and as the king was praying or dreaming (stories differ on this point!), Saint Andrew appeared before him promising him victory. On the day of the battle, he saw an X shape - the cross of St Andrew - in the sky, and led his men into battle in which they were victorious. After this unlikely victory, Andrew was swiftly appointed the patron saint of Scotland, with the blue and white saltire we all know being adopted as the flag of the country.

Whether these events actually took place or not, it wasn’t until 1320 with the signing of The Declaration of Arbroath, which asserted Scotland’s status as an independent nation, that Andrew was officially declared as Scotland’s patron saint.

Andrew was crucified in AD 60. Although early texts state that he was bound to the same type of cross as Jesus, it was later widely accepted that he was tied to an X-shaped cross. Some say that he requested this himself as he didn’t think he was worthy of being crucified on the same type of cross as Jesus.

The Scottish flag bears this X-shaped cross in white, with a blue background, thought to reflect the cross that King Angus noticed in the sky as mentioned above, and the flag is commonly referred to as the Saltire.

The Saltire is Scotland’s official national flag, although you may also be familiar with the Royal Banner of the Royal Arms of Scotland, more commonly known as the Lion Rampant. Contrary to popular belief, the Lion Rampant isn’t an official flag of the country and it’s technically a royal flag. In fact, its use is actually restricted by an Act of Parliament to only those Great Officers of State who officially represent the royal family.

You’ll see the Saltire flying on many flagpoles across Scotland, but particularly on and around St Andrews Day. The Scottish Government regulations state that the Saltire should be flown on all government buildings with a flag pole on this national day, and where there is only one flagpole, the Union Jack should be replaced with the Saltire for the day.

It is thought that there have been national celebrations for Saint Andrew since the reign of Malcolm III (1034-1093), but it wasn’t until the 18th century that St Andrew’s Day was commonly celebrated on November 30th, and it was only in 2006 that the day was officially designated as a bank holiday in Scotland.

It was actually a group of Scottish residents in South Carolina who first started to celebrate on November 30th. Keen to stay connected to their roots, they started the St Andrew’s Society of Charleston in 1729. It’s the oldest Scottish society in the world, and their work and message quickly spread. In 1756, the St Andrew’s Society of the State of New York was founded, with the intention of helping the poor.

In 2006, the Scottish Parliament passed the St. Andrew's Day Bank Holiday (Scotland) Act 2007, which designated the Day as an official bank holiday. Although it is a bank holiday, banks are not required to close and employers are not required to give their employees the day off as a holiday. Today, St Andrew’s Day is often celebrated in Scotland with food, music and ceilidhs. Students at the University of St Andrews are also given the day off - they are studying in one of his final resting places, after all!

It’s not only Scotland that has Andrew as a patron saint, though, and many other countries also celebrate on his day.

In Barbados, November 30th is also celebrated as the day of national independence, whilst in Amalfi, where there are also relics of the saint, his statue is carried from the cathedral in a procession through the streets.

The Earl of St Andrews tartan is predominantly blue and white and according to the Scottish Register of Tartans was designed specifically for the use of Prince George, the Duke of Kent, who bore the title Earl of St Andrews. The tartan is a relatively modern one registered in 1930.

The United States St Andrews Tartan, also know & registered as the American St Andrews Societies tartan was originally designed to commemorate the American Bi-Centennial, a series of celebrations in the 1970's that paid tribute to historical events leading up to the creation of the United States as an independent republic. After these celebrations it was then designated as the American St Andrews Societies tartan.

So there you go: the fascinating story of how Andrew became Scotland’s patron saint. However you’re celebrating St Andrew’s Day this year, we hope you have a good one!