Scotland's people can reinvent St Andrew's Day

Published on Saturday 3 November 2007 00:38

ONLY a few years ago, an opinion poll revealed that just one in five people living in Scotland knew the date of St Andrew's Day. Only 22 per cent of people could name 30 November correctly as the day when Scotland's patron saint is celebrated. In a further blow to national pride, 5 per cent of the people admitted they had no idea who Scotland's patron saint actually was - one wag even suggested it was St Mirren.

Contrast this with the Irish and their boisterous celebration of St Patrick's Day every 17 March. There have been St Patrick's Day parades in America since 1737 and it has not been unknown to dye the River Liffey in Dublin a patriotic green. All this is good for selling the Irish brand abroad and it is good for promoting community spirit in a multicultural age.

For some years there has been a growing movement to turn St Andrew's Day into something more akin the Irish model. This culminated last year in the passing of a bill at Holyrood to make 30 November an official bank holiday, albeit on a voluntary basis - firms taking 30 November as a holiday have to swap it for another bank holiday earlier in the year.

However, a bank holiday is not yet a day of celebration, so yesterday the First Minister, Alex Salmond, unveiled detailed plans for a fully fledged Winter Festival starting on 30 November. This will comprise of more than 100 events, covering everything from a "shindig" in George Square to a "Doric cabaret" evening in Aberdeen. This enthusiasm is commendable, but the project is still very much work in progress. For a start, the idea of a Winter Festival running all the way from St Andrew's Day to Burns Night in January, taking in Hogmanay along the way, is very ambitious and runs the risk of going off at half cock unless it is well organised and has sufficient funding.

The list of events announced by Mr Salmond - which included a "living history" display at the Culloden battlefield - is a trifle eclectic, while the overall project - as currently outlined - is too diffuse. There is also a suspicion that the SNP might be tempted into viewing this as a political project rather than a chance for Scots of every persuasion to enjoy our common heritage.

Whatever the merits of a long Winter Festival - especially tourism wise - we still need to focus on making St Andrew's Day a special day. Mr Salmond did not resolve that problem with the Winter Festival project. One idea has been to turn St Andrew's Day into something similar to Australia Day, as a way of recognising the achievements of individual Scots who have contributed in some way to the community. That would give 30 November both character and dignity while not requiring a massive budget.

St Andrew's Day is not really about a long-dead saint. It is about the Scotland we live in today and the country we want to build in the future. If it is to become anything like St Patrick's Day, the energy and commitment will have to come from the bottom up, not from the top down.