Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.
It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.
THE FEAST Day OF ST. Andrew, the Apostle
This feast is a Christian religious celebration of St. Andrew, the Apostle. Andrew is the brother of Simon Peter and is remembered in the Eastern Tradition as “the first called Apostle.”
Today St. Andrew is venerated around the world, but particularly so in Scotland, where he is a Patron Saint. He is also a patron saint of the nations of Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Greece, Barbados, and Romania, as well as many other places.
6th century Mosaic Detail of the triumphal arch in the Basilica of San Vitale, Ravenna via christianiconography.info
The name “Andrew” (meaning manly, brave, from Greek: ἀνδρεία, translit.andreía, lit. “manhood, valour”), like other Greek names, appears to have been common among the Jews and other Hellenized people since the second or third century B.C. No Hebrew or Aramaic name is recorded for him.
Andrew the Apostle was born between 5 and 10 AD in Bethsaida, in Galilee. The New Testament states that Andrew was the brother of Simon Peter, and likewise a son of Jonah. “The first striking characteristic of Andrew is his name: it is not Hebrew, as might have been expected, but Greek, indicative of a certain cultural openness in his family that cannot be ignored. We are in Galilee, where the Greek language and culture are quite present.”
Both he and his brother Peter were fishermen by trade, hence the tradition that Jesus called them to be his disciples by saying that he will make them “fishers of men” (Greek: ἁλιεῖς ἀνθρώπων, translit.halieîs anthrṓpōn). According to Mark 1:29, at the beginning of Jesus’ public life, they occupied the same house at Capernaum.
In the Gospel of Matthew and in the Gospel of Mark Simon Peter and Andrew were both called together to become disciples of Jesus and “fishers of men”. These narratives record that Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, observed Simon and Andrew fishing, and called them to discipleship.
In the parallel incident in the Gospel of Luke Andrew is not named, nor is reference made to Simon having a brother. In this narrative, Jesus initially used a boat, solely described as being Simon’s, as a platform for preaching to the multitudes on the shore and then as a means to achieving a huge trawl of fish on a night which had hitherto proved fruitless. The narrative indicates that Simon was not the only fisherman in the boat (they signalled to their partners in the other boat … but it is not until the next chapter that Andrew is named as Simon’s brother. However, it is generally understood that Andrew was fishing with Simon on the night in question. Matthew Poole, in his Annotations on the Holy Bible, stressed that ‘Luke denies not that Andrew was there’.
The Gospel of John states that Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist, whose testimony first led him, and another unnamed disciple of John the Baptist, to follow Jesus. Andrew at once recognized Jesus as the Messiah, and hastened to introduce him to his brother. The Byzantine Church honours him with the name Protokletos, which means “the first called”. Thenceforth, the two brothers were disciples of Christ. On a subsequent occasion, prior to the final call to the apostolate, they were called to a closer companionship, and then they left all things to follow Jesus.
Subsequently, in the gospels, Andrew is referred to as being present on some important occasions as one of the disciples more closely attached to Jesus. Andrew told Jesus about the boy with the loaves and fishes, and when certain Greeks went to see Jesus, they came to Philip, but Philip then had recourse to Andrew. Andrew was present at the Last Supper. Andrew was one of the four disciples who came to Jesus on the Mount of Olives to ask about the signs of Jesus’ return at the “end of the age”.
The national flag of Scotland
Scotland’s national flag is called the Saltire, for “St. Andrew’s Cross.” Why is the veneration for the Apostle so strong in Scotland? We’ll try to summarize with help from wiki, but the connection goes back much farther than you might believe.
Several legends claim that the relics of Andrew were brought by divine guidance from Constantinople to the place where the modern Scottish town of St Andrews stands today (Gaelic, Cill Rìmhinn). The oldest surviving manuscripts are two: one is among the manuscripts collected by Jean-Baptiste Colbert and willed to Louis XIV of France, now in the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; the other is the Harleian Mss in the British Library, London. They state that the relics of Andrew were brought by one Regulus to the Pictish king Óengus mac Fergusa (729–761). The only historical Regulus (Riagail or Rule) whose name is preserved in the tower of St Rule was an Irish monk expelled from Ireland with Columba; his dates, however, are c. 573 – 600. There are good reasons for supposing that the relics were originally in the collection of Acca, bishop of Hexham, who took them into Pictish country when he was driven from Hexham (c. 732), and founded a see, not, according to tradition, in Galloway, but on the site of St Andrews.
Saint Andrew (carving c. 1500) in the National Museum of Scotland
According to legendary accounts given in 16th-century historiography, Óengus II in AD 832 led an army of Picts and Scots into battle against the Angles, led by Æthelstan, near modern-day Athelstaneford, East Lothian. The legend states that he was heavily outnumbered and hence whilst engaged in prayer on the eve of battle, Óengus vowed that if granted victory he would appoint Andrew as the patron saint of Scotland. On the morning of battle white clouds forming an X shape in the sky were said to have appeared. Óengus and his combined force, emboldened by this apparent divine intervention, took to the field and despite being inferior in numbers were victorious. Having interpreted the cloud phenomenon as representing the crux decussata upon which Andrew was crucified, Óengus honoured his pre-battle pledge and duly appointed Andrew as the patron saint of Scotland. The white saltire set against a celestial blue background is said to have been adopted as the design of the flag of Scotland on the basis of this legend. However, there is evidence that Andrew was venerated in Scotland before this.
Traditional stone fireplace in northern England. The carved Saint Andrew’s cross in the left-hand wooden post was to prevent witches from flying down the chimney. In Ryedale Folk Museum, Hutton-le-Hole.
Andrew’s connection with Scotland may have been reinforced following the Synod of Whitby, when the Celtic Church felt that Columba had been “outranked” by Peter and that Peter’s brother would make a higher-ranking patron. The 1320 Declaration of Arbroath cites Scotland’s conversion to Christianity by Andrew, “the first to be an Apostle”. Numerous parish churches in the Church of Scotland and congregations of other Christian churches in Scotland are named after Andrew. The former national church of the Scottish people in Rome, Sant’Andrea degli Scozzesi was dedicated to Saint Andrew.
A local superstition uses the cross of Saint Andrew as a hex sign on the fireplaces in northern England and Scotland to prevent witches from flying down the chimney and entering the house to do mischief. By placing the Saint Andrew’s cross on one of the fireplace posts or lintels, witches are prevented from entering through this opening. In this case, it is similar to the use of a witch ball, although the cross will actively prevent witches from entering, whereas the witch ball will passively delay or entice the witch, and perhaps entrap it.
For an example of Scottish St. Andrew’s Day music, see the video embedded below:
St. Andrew is also an important figure in many other places around the world, including Ukraine and Russia. From wiki:
Tradition regarding the early Christian history of Ukraine holds that the apostle Andrew preached on the southern borders of modern-day Ukraine, along the Black Sea. Legend has it that he travelled up the Dnieper River and reached the future location of Kyiv, where he erected a cross on the site where the Saint Andrew’s Church of Kyiv currently stands, and where he prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city. Because of this connection to Kyiv, Andrew is considered to be the patron saint of the two East Slavic nations descended from the Kievan Rus: Ukraine and Russia, the latter country using the Saint Andrew’s Cross on its naval ensign. The third East Slavic nation, Belarus, however, reveres Euphrosyne of Polotsk, a local saint, as its patron instead.
What do you eat for The Feast of St. Andrew?
Saint Andrew’s Day (Scots: Saunt Andra’s Day, Scottish Gaelic: Là Naomh Anndrais) is Scotland’s official national day. It has been a national holiday in Romania since 2015. He is the patron saint of Cyprus, Scotland, Greece (City of Patras), Romania, Russia, Ukraine, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, San Andres Island (Colombia), Saint Andrew (Barbados) and Tenerife (Spain).
In Scotland, where St. Andrew is a patron saint, and St. Andrew’s Day is a bank holiday, the celebration is a display of Scottish culture, food, and music. So… at least in Scotland, one eats Scottish food to celebrate St. Andrew’s Feast Day. We’ll leave the haggis for the Scots and make a traditional dessert instead:
Scottish Clootie Dumping
This will be by far the most complicated recipe I have ever shared. I hope you’re up for a challenge. I also suggest clicking the link to the website where I have obtained the recipe, both to send them the web traffic and because more information is included there.
“Cloot” / Clootie Dumpling Cloth – A Muslin or cheesecloth or even an old pillowcase! – we use this one
String or Cooking Twine
A clean and dry sink!
Ingredients
200g Plain Flour – additional flour will be required for flouring the cloth and surface of the pudding
125g Oatmeal
150g Suet / Unsalted Butter
125g Dark Brown Sugar
1 Tsp Ground Ginger
1 Tsp Ground Cinnamon
1 Tsp Mixed Spice
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
3 Tbps Black Treacle
2 Eggs (Medium)
125g Currants
125g Sultanas/Raisins
150ml Milk – To be used as required
Directions
Take your large mixing bowl and add the flour, oatmeal, suet or butter, sugar, spices, currants, sultanas/raisins, baking powder, and bicarb. Mix together.
Next, add the treacle and the eggs and mix slowly. It will start to form a large sticky ball, and you may want to get your hands in now to help it come together! You can add a little milk if the mixture seems dry. We usually add between 75-150ml so only do a small amount at a time.
You want to give the ball moisture but only enough for it to seem a little wet, too much and you will struggle to add it to the cloth successfully.
Be warned, you most likely will not need the full amount of milk and the mix will look dryer than it really is.
You may want to clean and dry your hands at this point!
Once you’re happy with the mix take your Clootie Dumpling cloth or “Cloot” and put it in the colander in the sink. Pour boiling water over the cloot, covering it thoroughly. Wait for it to cool enough to handle and squeeze out any excess water and place the cloth on a clean surface. Do watch your fingers!
Once your cloot is laid out sprinkle the entire surface of your cloot with a thin and even layer of flour. You can shake off any excess carefully into the sink.
Your aim, once the cloot is tightly tied, is to have the floured cloot touch the whole surface of the dumpling, transferring the flour from the cloth to the pudding. This creates a thin layer of flour over the entire dumpling mix that will form a tasty skin and hold the moisture in.
Top Tip: Go easy on the flour! Too much loose flour on the cloot at this stage will not stick to the mix or the cloth and create build-ups as it falls down. These taste hard and floury and ruin the thin skin you’re trying to create so make sure the layer is nice and even.
Take your dumpling and place it in the centre of the cloot, it should be vaguely ball-shaped at this stage but don’t strive for perfection!
Cut a long piece of string, roughly half a metre in length depending on your pot and skill with knots.
Draw up the corners and edges of the cloot together to the top of the dumpling, making sure the floured cloot touches the whole surface of the dumpling.
Take your string and tie your cloth’s edges and corners together tightly, roughly in the centre of the length of the string. You want to leave a little space between the top of the dumpling and your knot to allow the pudding to expand.
Place a small plate in the base of your pot, this should be able to withstand heat.
Carefully lift your newly tied clootie dumpling and place it into your pot. We kept the extra length of string to enable you to tie your dumpling to any panhandles on either side you may have, this helps keep it in place and submerged in water.
This all sounds easy, right?
Tip boiling water over your dumpling until it is just submerged. Your dumpling may float a little, this is perfectly fine, but it should be underwater. Turn the heat on bringing the water to a simmer.
Place the lid of your pan on at a slight angle allowing for steam to escape and set the heat to keep the water gently simmering. Our gas is really quite hot even at its lowest setting so we had to top the water up a couple of times. If the dumpling expands too much, like ours did, place a wooden spoon under the lid to keep it under control and under the water.
Top Tip: If you have a smaller pot don’t push the dumpling down too much as this may mean skin won’t form where the dumpling is pushed into the plate at the bottom of the pot. It should gently float while keeping the dumpling submerged. It’s a balancing act but is possible!
Leave to simmer for 3 hours. The water level should cover the top of your dumpling at all times so do add more boiling water to make sure it’s completely covered if required during the cooking time.
Once your dumpling is cooked take your colander and place it in your sink. Carefully take your dumpling out of the pot and place it in the colander allowing any excess water to drain off. Make sure you don’t move the cloth from the surface of the dumpling at this stage as you may rip the skin.
Preheat your oven to 180°C or 356°F, approx gas mark 4.
Once drained, pick up the clootie dumpling by the knot and put it on a large chopping board or clean heat-proof surface. Using a sharp knife or scissors cut the string at the top of the cloot.
Very carefully peel back the cloot from the dumpling. it is crucial at this stage that you don’t remove the skin formed by the flour. We used the back of a spoon to help keep the skin attached to the dumpling and not the cloot as it’s peeled back.
It’s a slow job and there is no rush but the dream is a dumpling at is completely covered in its newfound skin. The skin may look white and almost fatty but this will darken once placed in the oven and taste great.
Once the cloot is removed, place your dumpling on your baking tray and pop it into the oven for 5 -10mins or until the skin has darkened. Don’t be tempted to leave it in too long as this can dry out the dumpling. If you’re not serving right away you can leave on the side to cool a little and dry out.
Once your dumpling is done, place it on a serving plate, decide if you’d like custard or cream and serve! Amazing. Your dumpling will last 2-3 days and can be reheated or, as is popular here in Scotland, fried in butter for breakfast – delicious!
What is a prayer you could say in honor of St. Andrew’s Feast Day?
It is a devotion, also known as the Christmas Anticipation Prayer, that starts on the feast day of St Andrew the Apostle, November 30, and ends on Christmas Eve. It consists in reciting the prayer found below 15 times each day of the novena period. Its exact origin is unknown, but it is believed to have begun in Ireland during the 19th century. This is a very meditative prayer that brings about graces, increases our awareness of the real focus of Christmas and prepares us spiritually for His coming.
Novena
Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary, at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold. In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech Thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, [here mention your request] through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of His blessed Mother. Amen.
When is St. Andrew’s Day celebrated?
St. Andrew’s Feast Day is celebrated on 30 November. If you celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful day.
Sounds delicious!!
Thanks! I thought it sounded like a better feast day recipe option than haggis (no offense to any haggis-loving Scot who reads this.) Lol.