St Andrew's Day is nearly here, seeing thousands of people from across Scotland celebrate the country's patron saint.
While the national day is a long-running tradition, you may want to know why Andrew became such an important figure for Scotland.
Here is everything you need to know about St Andrew's Day, which is taking place on Monday, December 1, instead of November 30 this year.
Why do we celebrate St Andrew's Day and how did he become the patron saint of Scotland?
St Andrew's Day is celebrated in Scotland because Andrew the Apostle is the country's patron saint.
Andrew was officially selected as Scotland's patron saint in 1320 when Scotland made an appeal to the Pope for protection against English conquest in the famous Declaration of Arbroath. St Andrew's ties to Scotland, however, date back hundreds of years earlier.
He was seen as a suitable choice due to his position as the brother of Saint Peter, the founder of the church, as well as his role as one of Jesus's disciples.
There are also a number of myths and legends used to justify Andrew's special place in Scottish history.
One such story states that the Scots are descendants of the ancient Scythians who resided in what is now Romania and Bulgaria.
Here, it is said that Andrew the Apostle converted the early Scots to Christianity before they migrated to the British Isles.
Another is that Andrew, who was known for wandering far and wide before his crucifixion, travelled as far north as Scotland to establish a church in Fife.
Several legends also claim that the relics of Andrew were brought by divine guidance from Constantinople (modern-day Istanbul) to the town of St Andrews.
Read more:
- What other countries and cities is St Andrew the patron saint of?
- Is St Andrew's Day a bank holiday in Scotland and will I get a day off for it?
Where else is Saint Andrew the patron saint?
A number of countries have Andrew as their patron saint, such as the island nation of Barbados, Romania, Ukraine and Russia.
He is also the patron saint of several cities such as Pienza and Amalfi in Italy, Esgueira in Portugal, Luqa in Malta, Parañaque in the Philippines and Patras in Greece.
The Saint Andrew's Day bank holiday takes place on Monday, December 1, 2025.
