Who was St Andrew?
NOVEMBER 30 marks St Andrew's Day, a national holiday in Scotland which honours the patron saint.
The annual bank holiday is also known as Andermas, but why does it take place?
Who was Saint Andrew?
Andrew the Apostle was a Christian and the elder brother of Saint Peter - both were said to be disciples of Jesus.
He was a fisherman, and is often depicted with fishing nets.
He is referenced in the New Testament of the Bible and witnessed many of Jesus' miracles.
It was Andrew who alerted Jesus to the small boy with five loaves and two fish at the feeding of the 5,000, as written in John's gospel and chapter six.
John also states that Andrew was from a city called Bethsaida.
Andrew was martyred on a cross and relics of him are scattered within the many countries who claim him as their patron saint.
More in holidays and religious festivals
They are kept at the Basilica of St Andrew in Greece, in Amalfi Cathedral (the Duomo di Sant'Andrea) in Italy, St Mary's Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh and the Church of St Andrew and St Albert in Poland.
What did Saint Andrew do?
He was Jesus' first disciple and was baptised by John the Baptist.
He worked as a fisherman and in the gospels in the Bible it was while he was fishing on the Sea of Galilee that he was called to be a follower of Jesus.
After Jesus ascension into heaven, Andrew would preach regularly as he attempted to convert more people to the Christian faith.
He was successful and angered the Romans.
He was crucified on November 30, 60AD, by order of the Roman governor Aegeas and was tied to an X-shaped cross.
This was represented by the white cross on the Scottish flag, the Saltire.
Why is Saint Andrew the patron saint of Scotland?
According to legend, in 832 AD Oengus II led an army of Picts and Scots into battle against the Angles.
He vowed if he won the battle he would make Saint Andrew the patron saint of Scotland.
On the morning of the clash, white clouds formed to make an 'x' in the sky and this was taken as a sign.
St Andrew's Day celebrations in Scotland are thought to go back to the reign of Malcolm III, who moved the Samhain - Halloween - to coincide with this date in order to make sure enough animals were kept alive for winter stocks.
Scots get a bank holiday as it was made a national holiday in 2006 - but employers are not obliged to give their workers a day off.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload yours