From Douglas Days poster to Teba. /
Last week there was a Scottish air in the north of the province of Malaga, when the town of Teba paid homage to its heritage with its Douglas Days. The saltire flew during the traditional historical re-enactment in the streets of Estrella Castle
Saltire is an alternate name for the Scottish flag. The diagonally extending white cross on a blue background represents St. Andrew and is considered the oldest flag in Europe and the Commonwealth. .
Saint Andrew was one of the first apostles. The X-shaped cross became its symbol after it was crucified by the Romans in Patras, Greece in 60 AD. It is believed that Saint Andrew believed himself unworthy of being crucified on a cross like that of Christ. So, at his own request, he met his end on an X-shaped cross, called crux decussatawas, and commonly known as saltire.
There is a legend linking the adoption of St. Andrew’s Cross as the national flag of Scotland. In 832, on the eve of a battle between a combined army of Picts and Scots and an invading army from Angles led by King Aethelstan of East Anglia, Saint Andrew appeared to the King of the Picts, Óengus mac Fergusa , and ensured him the victory. It is believed that the following morning, a cloud formation gathered against a clear blue sky, representing a white saltire visible from both sides. The king swore that if he won victory, then Andrew would be the patron saint of Scotland. The Scots won. Thus, Saint Andrew was adopted as patron saint and the saltire became the flag of Scotland.
Scottish flag twins
The Scottish Saltire is also used outside of Scotland. After independence from the Spanish colonies, the inhabitants of the islands of San Andrés, Providence and Saint Catherine in the Caribbean Sea voluntarily joined the Republic of Gran Colombia in 1822. The largest island in the archipelago is called San Andrés and its capital is San Andrés. Unsurprisingly, the flag of Colombia, San Andrés and Providencia, uses a white cross of Saint Andrew and… on a blue background like on the Scottish flag.
The flag of Colombia, San Andrés and Providencia, uses a white cross of Saint Andrew and… on a blue background as on the Scottish flag
The saltire is also the flag of Tenerife that most closely resembles the Scottish flag. The flag was originally adopted in 1845 by Royal Order. The saltire is the flag of Tenerife by decree of May 9, 1989.
The flag of this Canary Island indeed closely resembles the flag of Scotland, the difference is a navy blue field – a darker shade of blue than Scottish. While navy blue is identified with the sea, white is associated by locals with the snow-capped peaks of the Teide volcano.
The government building in Tenerife, Palacio Insular. /
On the island of Tenerife there are two popular versions explaining the close resemblance. It is said that the most influential masters of the island of Tenerife chose a design similar to the Scottish flag belonging to the Scottish Rite, the Masonic Grand Lodge of Scotland, and proposed a similar flag for the maritime province of the Canary Islands, which later became the flag of Tenerife. However, according to the most common theory, the flag was adopted simply as a mark of respect for the bravery of Scottish sailors in the 1797 Battle of Santa Cruz, an amphibious assault by the Royal Navy on the port city of Tenerife.
Some cities, towns and villages also use a white saltire on a blue field. In Poland, the second largest city, Krakow, was twinned with Edinburgh in 1995. Coincidentally, the city’s official banner features the coat of arms of Krakow overlaying a white saltire on a blue background.
The official city banner features the coat of arms of Kraków over a white saltire on a blue background.
In Spain, you can find a “twin” Scottish flag in the Basque Country and Catalonia. Arrigorriaga is a town and municipality located in the province of Biscay, part of the metropolitan area of Bilbao. The flag of Arrigorriaga has the saltire framed by a red border.
The flag of Arrigorriaga, a city and municipality located in the province of Biscay, has the saltire framed by a red border
Catalonia has two small villages which have flags closely resembling the Scottish flag, but with peculiar details. The flag of a small village called Ivars d’Urgell, located in the province of Lleida has a white cross on an all-blue field with an eight-pointed red star in its center.
The flag of a small village named Ivars d’Urgell, located in the province of Lleida has a white cross on a pretty blue field with a red eight-pointed star in its center
The flag of the village of Ullà in the province of Girona consists of a white saltire in a light blue field with the fleur-de-lis (the lily) superimposed in the centre. Coincidentally, a double red border with fleur-de-lis decorates the Royal Coat of Arms of Scotland which features a red rampant lion with blue tongue and claws. Incidentally, a rampant lion is depicted on the Torrox coat of arms.
The flag of the village of Ullà in the province of Girona consists of a white saltire in a light blue field with the fleur-de-lis (the lily) superimposed in the center