Happy Saint Andrew's Day

Image from a St. Andrew's Day Prayer Card

I have been away from SL for quite some time during this American holiday season - Thanksgiving. Real Life events and family have taken priority as they should. I would say that I have been missing interacting with many of you, and hope that you are well. I believe that my weeknights will be back to some sense of normalcy by tomorrow - if not tonight.

You might take note that I was in world for about 10 minutes yesterday afternoon and found that the first snow has fallen in Loch Avie. Many of the tress still have their colorful leaves, but the first hint at the winter to come has visited my home.

I am busily preparing for a number of events in SL (as posted previously) - happily so. But today, as most of the RL family has departed my typist's home, it is time to pause and think about the day.

I am Christian as most of you know (as is my typist) although I preserve several of the traditions of my Pagan ancestors. Today is a new year on the Christian calendar. A time for preparation. For waiting. This is the first Sunday of Advent. Songs fill my heart as I go about my preparations (especially in real life).

Today is also St. Andrew's Day and how appropriate that I would be singing as he is patron to singers (much like St. Cecilia). He is also patron of fishermen, gout, maidens, anglers, sore throats, and unmarried women.

He was the first apostle and went through life leading people to Jesus, both before and after the Crucifixion. Missionary in Asia Minor and Greece, and possibly areas in modern Russia and Poland. Martyred on an saltire (x-shaped) cross, he is said to have preached for two days from it.

Some peculiar marriage-related superstitions have attached themselves to Saint Andrew's feast day:

• An old German tradition says that single women who wish to marry should ask for Saint Andrew's help on the Eve of his feast, then sleep naked that night; they will see their future husbands in their dreams.

• Another says that young women should note the location of barking dogs on Saint Andrew's Eve: their future husbands will come from that direction.

• On the day after Andrew's feast, young people float cups in a tub; if a boy's and a girl's cup drift together and are intercepted by a cup inscribed "priest", it indicates marriage.

There are several explanations for why Andrew became the patron of Scotland and you will find that information in my post from last year written prior to my St. Andrew's Day celebration.

So cuddle up with your loved one by the fire, sip some whisky, and enjoy the warmth of the season upon us.

I will see you soon.

Days of Wine and Roses?

No! This was a Day of Whisky and Haggis
and of Cabers and Scotch Eggs, Hammers, Axes, Fried Mars Bars, Claymores, dancing, snowball battles, skiing, and laughter.

St Andrew's Day in Caledon.

First and foremost, I must express thanks to the following people for their contributions to the celebration:

Lord Edward Pearse, Earl of Primbroke, who so many months ago asked me if I would be interested in collaborating on the St. Andrew's Day festivities. And who created so many beautiful tartans for the enjoyment of others, organized much, created foods, notices and signs, and played wonderful Scottish and Celtic Music for the day and the Ceilidh.

Lady Kate Nicholas, Grafinya Inbir Abigh for her work on the St. Andrew's Icons, the Scottish Flags, the haggis, and a number of other things

Lady Christine McAllister, Countess of Primbroke for her assistance with creation of food items, and support.

Professor Alfonso Avalanche for his wonderful Caber Toss and Hammer Throw

Dame Lapin Paris and Phineas Matova for their great organization and good humor as they ran the Caber and Hammer Tossing Contests

Sir Telemachus Dean for his work to facilitate and participate in the Tournament of Ducal Champions - sponsored by the Loch Avie Academy of Arms.

Colonel Hotspur O'Toole for representing the Loch in the tournament.

The Winners of the competitions - as promised:

Caber Toss - Duke Regent of Kintyre, Erasmus Margulis
Hammer Toss (early)- Countess Sea Song, Autopilotpatty Poppy
Academy of Arms Tournament of Ducal Champions - Miss Alex Fitzsimmons
Hammer Toss (late) - Loch Avie's Own, Hotspur O'Toole
Snowball Fight (late) - a toss up really but - Miss Vi Paravane, TotalLunar Eclipse, Iason Hassanov, Baron Wulfenbach, and Hotspur O'Toole were all right in there with Professor Alfonso Avalanche and me.

George - My domesticated wild haggis

Address To A Haggis
by Robert Burns.

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy of a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o' need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut ye up wi' ready slight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright
Like onie ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn, they strech an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve,
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
'Bethankit!' hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro' bluidy flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll make it whissle;
An' legs, an' arms, an' heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o 'fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a Haggis!

The crowd at the Caber Toss

Kintyre's Champion, Alex Fitzsimmons
Murdan's Champion, Diamanda Gustafson
The final bout

And now my collection of pictures from the wonderful day. I certainly did not capture all the fun and festivities. I covet any other pictures that may be out there. Please feel free to send them along to me as you see fit.

Who is Saint Andrew Anyway??

A little information about St. Andrew
Saint Andrew is the Patron Saint of Scotland, and St. Andrew's Day is celebrated by Scots around the world on the 30th November. The flag of Scotland is the Cross of St. Andrew, and this is widely displayed as a symbol of national identity.

The "Order of Saint Andrew" or the "Most Ancient Order of the Thistle" is an order of Knighthood which is restricted to the King or Queen and sixteen others. It was established by James VII of Scotland in 1687.

Very little is really known about St. Andrew himself. He was thought to have been a fisherman in Galilee (now part of Israel), along with his elder brother Simon Peter (Saint Peter). Both became followers (apostles) of Jesus Christ, founder of the Christian religion.

St. Andrew is said to have been responsible for spreading the tenets of the Christian religion though Asia Minor and Greece. Tradition suggests that St. Andrew was put to death by the Romans in Patras, Southern Greece by being pinned to a cross (crucified). The diagonal shape of this cross is said to be the basis for the Cross of St. Andrew which appears on the Scottish Flag.

St. Andrews bones were entombed, and around 300 years later were moved by Emperor Constantine (the Great) to his new capital Constantinople (now Istambul in Turkey). Legend suggests that a Greek Monk (although others describe him as an Irish assistant of St. Columba) called St. Rule (or St. Regulus) was warned in a dream that St. Andrews remains were to be moved and was directed by an angel to take those of the remains which he could to the "ends of the earth" for safe-keeping. St. Rule dutifully followed these directions, removing a tooth, an arm bone, a kneecap and some fingers from St. Andrew's tomb and transporting these as far away as he could. Scotland was close to the extremities of the know world at that time and it was here that St. Rule was shipwrecked with his precious cargo.

St. Rule is said to have come ashore at a Pictish settlement on the East Coast of Scotland and this later became St. Andrews. Thus the association of St. Andrew with Scotland was said to have begun.

Perhaps more likely than the tale of St. Rule's journey is that Acca, the Bishop of Hexham, who was a reknown collector of relics, brought the relics of St. Andrew to St. Andrews in 733. There certainly seems to have been a religious centre at St. Andrews at that time, either founded by St. Rule in the 6th century or by a Pictish King, Ungus, who reigned from 731 - 761.

Whichever tale is true, the relics were placed in a specially constructed chapel. This chapel was replaced by the Cathedral of St. Andrews in 1160, and St. Andrews became the religious capital of Scotland and a great centre for Medieval pilgrims who came to view the relics.

There are other legends of how St. Andrew and his remains became associated with Scotland, but there is little evidence for any of these, including the legend of St. Rule. The names still exist in Scotland today, including St. Rules Tower, which remains today amongst the ruins of St. Andrews Cathedral.

It is not known what happened to the relics of St. Andrew which were stored in St. Andrews Cathedral, although it is most likely that these were destroyed during the Scottish Reformation. The Protestant cause, propounded by Knox, Wishart and others, won out over Roman Catholism during the Reformation and the "idolatry of catholism", that is the Saints, relics, decoration of churches, were expunged during the process of converting the Roman Catholic churches of Scotland to the harsh simplicity of Knox's brand of Calvanism.

The place where these relics were kept within the Cathedral at St. Andrews is now marked by a plaque, amongst the ruins, for visitors to see.

The larger part of St. Andrew's remains were stolen from Constantinople in 1210 and are now to be found in Amalfi in Southern Italy. In 1879 the Archbishop of Amalfi sent a small piece of the Saint's shoulder blade to the re-established Roman Catholic community in Scotland.

In 1969, Gordon Gray, leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland was in Rome to be appointed the first Scottish Cardinal since the Reformation. Pope Paul VI gave him further relics of St. Andrew with the words "Saint Peter gives you his brother". These are now displayed in a reliquary in St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cathedral in Edinburgh.


This will be a full day of festivities in Loch Avie.

The sim will be filled with the sounds of Celtic music for your enjoyment, and will be decorated for the occasion.
Come learn about St. Andrew and his connections to Scotland and see his Eastern and Western Icons
Please feel free to come at your own time and pace to try the haggis, scotch eggs, Uisge Beatha, and other Scottish delicacies.
You may also try your hand at the Caber Toss, Hammer Throw, or Academy of Arms Weapons System (Claymore, Battle Axe, Short Sword) at your leisure during the day.
Enjoy the sim with it's water and ice (including skating areas), scenic views, water horse, and snow.

• Caber tossing contest at 1pm SLT (near the pub)
  
• Hammer throwing contest at 3pm SLT (near Nellie's inlet)
  
• Academy of Arms Tournament for Ducal Champions 6pm SLT (sky arena)
  
• Ceilidh 7:30pm SLT (Near the Keep)
  
  
• If you are a piper and would care to join in a piping contest please IM, Duchess Loch Avie directly. With enough interest we will hold a Bagpipe concert/contest during the day.