Saint Andrews Day. The brother of Simon Peter, both of whom were fishermen whom Jesus famously foretold that he would make them “fishers of men”. Saint Andrew was the first to preach the good news in what would become Russia and the northern parts of what is Turkey today. He was said to have been crucified on an X-shaped cross. King Angus II in 832 was preparing for battle against the Angles and seeing that his army of Picts and Scots was outnumbered by the Angle army, asked for the intercession of St. Andrew, whose relics had reputedly been removed to the town of St. Andrews. On the day of the battle, the Picts and Scots saw an X-shaped cloud in the clear blue sky above them and emboldened by this sign, won the battle. King Angus dedicated Scotland to St. Andrew and the Scottish flag has since then been a white X-shape against a sky blue background.
– Posted by Douglas Racionzer (serendipiday.blogspot.com)