Most of the students who are going to study in the UK have heard of St Andrew's University in Scotland, so do you know that Scotland will one day be St Andrew's Day?
St Andrew's Day is celebrated on 30 November each year, and this day is also considered Scotland's National Day. So what is the origin of this National Day, and what will the simple and joyful people of Scotland do on this day? Let's take a look at it with Huiying Xiaobian.~
Jesus Disciples crossed with St. Andrew
St. Andrew, known as the Apostle Andrew, is said to have been born between 10 and 5 BC in Galilee, Israel, where it was still under the rule of the Roman Empire.
According to the New Testament of the Bible, Andrew and his brother Simon Peter (St. Peter) accepted Jesus' call to become his disciples. Before that, both of them were fishermen.
After becoming a disciple of Jesus, the brothers devoted themselves to missionary work, and Andrew's footsteps traveled all over the Black Sea coast. And just as Peter was persecuted by the Roman Emperor Nero, Andrew was eventually martyred: on November 30, 60 AD, he was crucified on an X-shaped diagonal cross.
This diagonal cross is the Saltire cross, the cross of St. Andrew.
Seeing this, everyone may have doubts: St. Andrew is mainly active around the Black Sea, afraid that even the British Isles are not clear what it looks like, how did he parachute into the Scottish patron saint?
How did a fisherman born in Israel become the patron saint of Scotland
In fact, the Scots invited this great god out of practical considerations.
From the ninth century onwards, the Scottish region gradually developed an independent political entity, the future Kingdom of Scotland. For a long time, a series of conflicts broke out between the Kingdom of Scotland and the Kingdom of England, and the friends who have watched "Braveheart" should not be unfamiliar with this abyss (iniquity) source (fate).
The use of St. Andrew as a patron saint would bring great benefits to Scotland: St. Andrew was the brother of St. Peter, the eldest disciple of Jesus and founder of the church, and he was designated as the patron saint, and the Scots could appeal to the Pope to protect them from the conquest of the English king.
On the other hand, Scotland also needs a symbol to unite and inspire its people in the process of becoming a nation, and St Andrew's is naturally the most logical choice.
How St. Andrew's Day is celebrated
Since it is a festival, of course, it is necessary to eat, drink, sing and dance! On St Andrew's Day, Scots wear a Scottish dress to dance the Kelly Dance and raise a glass of whiskey.
Scottish bagpipes and torch parades are also essential, and the official blog of the University of St Andrews released a celebration video of the town's residents, and everyone can watch the parade team.
Hui Ying Xiaobian also heard that on St Andrew's Day, Edinburgh Castle will be open for free! Next year, students in Scotland can stay at this time and visit it when the time comes