Week 9: St. Andrew's Day

I think we're all familiar with the St. Andrew's Day, which in Poland is known as Andrzejki. It is a feast day celebrated on the 30th of November. The date is approaching, so it's good to know few facts about it.

Saint Andrew was one of the 12 apostles. The story has it that after the death of Jesus Andrew was travelling and teaching about the word of God. Eventually he died for his believes on a X-shaped cross. Nowadays he's the patron of Scotland, Greece and Russia. The tradition of celebrating St. Andrew's Day comes most likely from Scotland. It is said that the cross on Scottish flag comes from the one Andrew died on. Now in Scotland it's celebrated pompously, with lots of dances and singing. But how it looked like at its beginning?

(Source: 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/83/St_Andrew_the_Apostle_-_Bulgarian_icon.jpg)

The time when this tradition originated isn't known. In Poland the term "Andrzejki" was first used by Marcin Bielski in his play in 1557. But it was already used by Europeans in XII century. Fortunetelling was really popular back then, but at the beginning it was meant only for young girls. Boys had their own day - the 24th of November which was St. Catherine's day. People believed that the night between the 29th and the 30th was the only time when magic was available for everyone. It was believed that the spirits who could tell the future arrived at this time. Girls, mostly unmarried, were practicing divination mostly to know about their future love.

The first well-known ritual was pouring wax, tin or lead (lead was said to bring luck) through a keyhole to a bowl with cold water. The key was the symbol of fertility and mystery, it opened the variety of possibilities in future. Then, when the liquid was solidified, girls put it out to see a shadow it casted. It was supposed to give the answer, if the girl will be married, go to convent or die. The answer depended only on imagination, but any symbol they came up with had its own significance. For example, a branch or a flower had a double meaning: a girl could have become a bride really soon or a spinster. There was also this belief that marriage foreseen with lead would be much more permanent than the one foreseen with wax.

(Source: http://alternatywnie.files.wordpress.com/2010/11/andrzejki.jpg)

Another popular way for fortunetelling was looking into a well. In moonlight a girl could see a face of her future husband.  Yet another one was a barking dog. The place from where it was barking was the direction the future love will come from. A way to know his name was to write down numerous of names on sheets of paper and put them under a pillow for the night. In the morning the first name the girl would take out, was the name her future husband would have. The first girl to be married was chosen in a different ritual. Girls lined up their shoes in a room till they touched the wall. The last shoe touching the wall won. 

In time, the feast became collective, both for girls and boys. Many countries created their own customs. 

In southern Poland people believed that St. Andrew's night was the time when all the witches and ghost came to steal cow's milk. To prevent that, people marked their doors with garlic in a cross sign. Garlic was believed to have its own magical properties. When a girl ate 3 cloves of garlic she could have a dream about her true love.

In the eastern parts of Poland people were eavesdropping by their neighbors' windows. When they heard a word "yes" they knew a marriage will be soon. Any other word meant that it wasn't time for that yet. In the west girls put together 3 candle wicks which were the symbols of a wife, a husband and a priest. It brought them great luck in marriage. They were also praying a lot.

Nowadays, the St. Andrew's Day is still celebrated but with a pinch of salt. People still enjoy carrying on this tradition, creating more games and rituals that predict the future or just bring luck.

Questions:

Have you ever tried any St. Andrew's Day's fortune-telling?

Do you know any other rituals?

Are you planning to celebrate St. Andrew's Day this year?­