The Cross of St Andrew - Scotland's Flag
- THE NATIONAL FLAG OF SCOTLAND: The
national flag of Scotland is a white saltire (diagonal cross) on a blue
background. The technical description is - azure, a saltire argent.
In Scots Heraldry, 1956, the then Lord Lyon - Sir Thomas Innes of Learney - stated: "The Cross of St Andrew is the flag which any Scotsman (or woman) is entitled to fly or wear as evidence of his (or her) national identity or patriotism. This is also the proper flag to fly on a Scottish church".
St. Andrew was one of the first Disciples of Christ. He was a missionary to Asia Minor and Greece and was crucified by the Romans on an x-shaped cross at Patras in 69 AD. His remains were entombed and in 370 AD were taken from Constantinople to a Pictish settlement on the Eastern Coast of Scotland where nowadays the city of St. Andrews is.
In 832 AD a Pictish army led by King Angus Mac Fergus, King of Alba and another army under Eochaidh, King of Dalriada were fighting a Northumbrian force in Lothian. The winner would have the control of that area.
The night before the battle Angus saw St. Andrew in his dream so, the king prayed for victory and miraculously, the following day, the same vision appeared in the sky in the form of a Saltire or x-shaped cross. It is said that the Picts and Scots made the Northumbrians run away when their leader Athelstan was killed in the battlefield. The site of the battle is known as Athelstanford.
The colors of the flag represent the blue sky and the white clouds. From that moment onwards, the Saltire became the national emblem of the Scots and it was not only used as a flag but also worn on bonnets and tunics.
- COLOR AND DIMENSIONS: The blue
field of the Saltire should be bright azure in harmony with the legend, but
not pale or weak. The dark blue used in the Union Flag is too dark. Although
there is no definitive color codification, the Society believes that the
proper lighter blue should be close to Pantone 300U. The proportions are not
fixed, but the ratio 5:4 (length to height) is suitable.
- DEFACEMENT: The Saltire should
never be overprinted with slogans. Such a defacement would be both illegal
and a piece of heraldic bad taste.
- THE LION RAMPANT: TIs also called
the Royal Flag of Scotland - having been used by the Kings of Scotland, with
the first King to have done so being Alexander II (1214-1249). It is much
older than the St Andrew's flag and should now only be used by the Queen in
her role as the Queen of Scotland. The Lion Rampant flag
is widely used as a second national flag especially at football matches and
rugby games - although permission must be sought if the flag is to be run up
and flown from a flagpole or from a building.
It technically remains an offence for citizens and corporate bodies to fly or wave the lion rampant flag under the 1672 Act of Parliament because the rampant lion flag is not a national flag.
However the law is much more relaxed in modern times. This can be traced back to when King George V gave permission to his subjects in the year 1935 to wave small lion rampant flags during celebrations of his silver jubilee.
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In 1707 Scotland and
England joined in the Act of Union and they became the United Kingdom, as
England had its own flag, the one bearing St. George's cross and Scotland
had its own, there was great confusion, in other words, nobody knew what
flag to use and when; therefore, a new flag representing this union was
designed bearing the Crosses of St. Andrew (Patron of Scotland) and St.
George (Patron of England) and later, the cross of St. Patrick (Patron of
Ireland) was added.
The flag of this union is commonly known as "The Union Jack" which is the flag that represents the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland today. - DATES TO REMEMBER: The Saltire
should be flown on the following Scottish Anniversaries:
January 1 - New Year's Day
January 25 -Burns Day
April 6 - Declaration of Arbroath Day
June 24 - Bannockburn Day
August 23 - Wallace Day
November 30 - St. Andrew's Day
