United Kingdom Scotland The National Day of Scotland

United Kingdom Scotland

The National Day of Scotland When is St Andrew's Day? St Andrew's Day is on 30 November. It is celebrated in honour of St Andrew, the patron saint of Scotland. What does the flag of St Andrew look like? The Scottish flag is the cross of St. Andrew, also known as the Saltire. It is said to be one of the oldest national flags of any country, dating back at least to the 12 th century.

Who was St Andrew? St. Andrew was one of Christ's twelve apostles. Some of his bones are said to have been brought to what is now St. Andrews in Fife during the 4 th century. Since medieval times the X-shaped saltire cross upon which St. Andrew was supposedly crucified has been the Scottish national symbol.

According to legend, in 832 A. D. King Angus led the Picts and Scots in battle against the Angles under a king named Athelstan near modern-day Athelstandford in East Lothian. King Angus and his men were surrounded and he prayed for victory. During the night Saint Andrew, who was martyred on a saltire cross, appeared to Angus and assured him of victory. On the following morning a white saltire against the background of a blue sky appeared to both sides. The Picts and Scots were heartened by this, but the Angles lost confidence and were defeated. This saltire design has been the Scottish flag ever since. The blue and white colours of the flag show the colour of the blue sky and the white clouds.

What is the national emblem of Scotland? The national emblem and national flower of Scotland is the thistle, a prickly-leaved purple flower which was first used in the 15 th century as a symbol of defence. A legend tells of how a group of Scots were sleeping in a field when a group of Vikings crept up to attack. Fortunately one of the Vikings stood on a thistle, whose prickles penetrated through to his foot and made him yell with pain. His cries woke the sleeping Scots who were able to fight off their attackers. It is said that from this day the thistle has been adopted as Scotland's national emblem.

Do you know the name of the instrument that you are hearing? They`re. . bagpipes

What is the National Dress of Scotland? The national dress of Scotland is a kilt with shirt, waistcoat and tweed jacket, stockings with garter flashes, brogue shoes and a sporran.

Scotland is famous for. . Its medieval castles

The music you are hearing is the national song os Scotland “ Flower of Scotland”. It is played at rugby and football games. The song refers to the victory of the Scots , over the English, in 1314.

Traquair Castle, built in 1107. The bear gates (the front doors) in the castle haven`t been opened since 1745 because the Earl of Traquair put a curse on those who dared to open them before the Scottish Monarchy had been restored. The ghost of Lady Luisa Stuart has been seen many times walking quietly through the castle gardens since 1865, when she died.

Scotland is also famous for. . Its fresh water lochs (lakes) – there are over 600 square miles of them. One of the most famous is Loch Ness where a mysterious monster is said to lurk (hide) in the depths of the water.

The people who lived near the lake used to tell stories about a monster to their children in order to keep them away from the dark and dangerous lake. They used to tell the children that a horrible monster lived in the lake and , when it was hungry it turned into a beautiful horse and waited someone to ride it, then it rode quickly to the water and ate him.