Symbols of Scotland

Scotland is a country that forms the UK and has so many fascinating places to visit! But today let's see some of its national symbols that are very interesting to know about as well. Keep on reading the article to know about St Andrew's Cross, Scottish Unicorn, Thistle, Bagpipes and much more!

Symbols of Scotland

Scotland differs a lot from the other parts of the UK. We can see those differences in many Scottish symbols that can tell us a lot about the Scottish history too. Some of the symbols are official, while other ones not and have appeared thanks to Scottish folklore and traditions. Let's have a look at some of the most important symbols of Scotland!

1. The first symbol of course will be the flag of Scotland which is also sometimes called St Andrew's Cross. It dates back to the 9th century and is said to be the oldest national flag. The flag shows a white cross which represents the cross that St Andrew, a saint patron of Scotland, was crucified on. This saint plays an important role in Scottish culture, especially on 30 November each year when everybody is celebrating St Andrew's Day.

2. Let's look now at some other symbols! And here is a national flower of Scotland - a thistle. Unfortunately, it is unknown why exactly this flower has become a Scottish national symbol but we know for sure that a thistle has been the country's symbol for a really long time. Silver coins issued by King James III in 1474 were the first to be found that featured a thistle. Later on more similar coins were found and even nowadays we can notice this national flower on some of the pound coins! A Scottish thistle appears on other objects too: e.g. the coat of arms of the University of Edinburgh, the royal coat of arms of the United Kingdom, etc.

3. St Andrew's Day or Andermas is an official national day and holiday in Scotland. This day, which is believed to be a start of Scottish winter, is always celebrated in a Scottish style - with traditional music and food.

4. Another day celebrated by Scots is a so-called Burns supper that is usually held on 25 January. Burns supper or Burns Night is a celebration dedicated to the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Suppers typically include Scottish whisky, haggis (a traditional salty pudding) and people remembering and reciting Burns's poetry. This day is very popular in Scotland is can be both formal and informal celebration.

5. From a floral symbol let's come to an animal one! Did you know that such a wonderful creature as a unicorn is the national animal of Scotland? This mysterious and mythological creature is believed to be pure and untamed, brave and strong. It has been a part of the Scottish coat of arms, many emblems in different Scottish cities and towns for many years. Notice that the royal coat of arms of the UK shows both the unicorn, symbol of Scotland, and the lion, symbol of England.

6. Even if you're not into Scottish pubs, you probably must know that Scotland's national drink is whisky. Yes, this country was the first to create this drink and got famous mostly because of it! Scottish monks usually couldn't make wine, that's why they created something different... without knowing that in some centuries whisky would be spreading all over the world as a symbol of Scotland.

7. Well, and of course it's impossible not to mention a bagpipe and a kilt when talking about Scotland! The kilt is a type of the national Scottish outfit which is worn by men only. Its stripped pattern called tartan, created long ago and used mostly in the Highlands, exists in many colours and is popular nowadays not only in Scotland, but all over the world. That's why Scots wear the kilts on different occasions to show their rich heritage and love to their country. We can often see that the kilts are worn with a bagpipe that is one of the most important symbols of Scotland and its traditional music. Every celebration is accompanied with those fascinating tunes of a bagpipe on the streets of Scotland and all over the UK!

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