Happy Saint Andrew's Day!

Yesterday, November 30th, was the feast day of Saint Andrew. Seeing as how Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland, it is also Scotland's official national day. What better place to be for the celebration than in St Andrews, Scotland*?

There were various celebratory events happening around town, but the big draw is the huge torch-lit procession, beginning at the West Port and winding its way through the streets of town down to the Old Course hotel. Liana and I joined a few friends and marched with the crowds of torch-bearing and Saltire (St Andrew's cross)-waving people, led by a large group of pipers dressed in full regalia.

Once we arrived in front of the historic hotel, the fireworks began! It was a pretty exciting show, and we were front and centre.

We tried to get a shot with fireworks going off in the background...
instead it just looks like our heads are exploding!

After the fireworks were finished, the crowd moved back into the town centre, dispersing to various locations and celebrations around St Andrews. A large group (including us and our friends) headed up to South Street, where the largest outdoor Ceilidh in the world was taking place! (If you don't know what a Ceilidh is, they're a big deal around here. Think a big group-dance event, analogous to square dancing, except Scottish dancing to Scottish music: take away the American twang and add a Highland brogue, and you'll get the general feel of things.) Now you know Liana and me - dancing? We were right in there! Just try to stop us! OK, not quite... but it was a lot of fun to watch, listen to, and experience.

After we'd taken in enough of the festivities (including strange groups of young people dressed in weird costumes with their faces painted, who wandered around the crowds shouting or singing, and then stopping and staring at random people...), we went off for pizza night at the Brewer household, which was great. They're good people!

We had a fun night. It was a marvellous experience to be able to take part in this Scottish celebration. And - one last note - if all goes according to plan (God willing), I will be walking across a stage and getting hooded in (as of today) exactly two years and three-hundred and sixty-four days. That's right - Saint Andrew's day is also the day for graduation ceremonies at the University. Soooo... I'd better get back to work!

*Well, OK. Little known fact: the feast day of Saint Andrew is also celebrated as the national day of independence in Barbados. So I guess it would have been pretty cool to be in Barbados yesterday too. You know... if you're into that kind of thing. Sun. Beaches. Tropical beverages.