A portrayal of St Andrew from a 5th century Roman fresco
November 30 is the feast day of Saint Andrew, brother of Saint Peter and one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. As described in John 1: 40 Andrew was the first to follow the Messiah and the first to bring others to him, so the Church has placed his day at the beginning of the church calendar: Advent Sunday is the Sunday nearest to St Andrew’s Day. In parts of Germany it was once the custom for children to put out their stockings on St Andrew’s Eve and to find them the next morning filled with nuts and apples.
In much of Europe it was a day for prognostications, especially for girls seeking husbands. In Romania, vampires rise from the grave. In Germany, if a woman throws a shoe over her shoulder toward the door at midnight, and the shoe lands pointing to the door, the woman will receive a marriage proposal within the year.
Because Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross, the St Andrew’s cross often appears on flags, such as that of Scotland or the Russian navy.
