The most important of the Scottish symbols is the flag - a white St. Andrew's cross in a blue field symbolizing the sky. The shape of the cross is based on the legend of the Christian martyr St. Andrew, who was crucified by the Romans on an X-shaped cross, different from the rectangular cross of Christ. The feast day of this martyr, the patron saint of Scotland, is celebrated on November 30, when the yellow flag with a red upright lion, commemorating the fighting past of the Scots, also comes to the fore. The memory of independence fighters such as William Wallace and Robert Bruce is still alive. In the same way, the tragic fate of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, is often remembered.

The Scottish thistle became a symbol for its role in the battle with the Danes, when these enemies tried to sneak up barefoot across the castle moat - but fell right into the thistles and their cries gave them away to the Scots...