Scotland celebrates Saint Andrew’s Day every 30 November. This day is also called The Feast of Saint Andrew and it is considered Scotland’s national day.

Banks are not forced to close if they don’t want to; however, this patron saint day is considered a bank holiday since 2006 when it was first declared as such by the Scottish Parliament. If 30 November happens to be a weekend day, the bank holiday just switches to the next Monday.

Saint Andrew is remembered as one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus Christ and also, he was the brother of Saint Peter. Andrew actually used to be a fisherman before he started following Christ. He was born at Bethsaida which is an ancient village on the Sea of Galilee.

On Saint Andrew’s Day, you can see blue everywhere because Scottish people decorate the streets with their blue flag with a white diagonal cross called the Saltire. This is Saint Andrew’s cross and it is said that it represents the cross which Saint Andrew was crucified on.

Scotland and Saint Andrew have a very long history which goes back as far as 832AD. In 832AD Óengus II have made a promise that if the Scots and Picts came out victorious in battle against the Angles, he would declare Saint Andrew the patron saint of Scotland. As you can guess, they were indeed victorious.

There are some extraordinary menus on Saint Andrew’s Day which include cullen skink (haddock and potato soup), highland venison casseroles, potted hough (shin) with mustard sauce, and a lovely sweet called Scottish tablet.

In the honour of Saint Andrew, people prepare flag ceremonies, the Shindig in George Square of Glasgow that features live music, and many more local celebrations in the Kingdom of Fife’s town of Saint Andrews. Also, you get to freely visit most of the castles and attractions of Scotland.

You can follow all these events just by checking your phone because Scotland developed a free Saint Andrew’s Day app available for iPhone and Android. You can check many Scottish and worldwide events, menu ideas, and much more through that app.