In the Christian religion, St. Andrew's Day is celebrated on November 30, and honors Andrew, the brother of Saint Peter and patron saint of Scotland and Russia. Today, it plays a similar role as St. Patrick's Day for Ireland — it is a day for celebrating Scottish culture.
Saint Andrew was the brother of Saint Peter and is regarded as the first of the twelve apostles. Like Peter, Andrew was a fisherman from Bethsaida in Galilee. Andrew was a disciple of John the Baptist who had followed Jesus on John's recommendation. According to a New Testament account: Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. The first Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, "We have found the Messiah." And he brought him to Jesus. (John 1:40-42) According to tradition, St. Andrew conducted missionary work around the Black Sea. His death is generally dated to 60, or perhaps 70, AD. No earlier than the 10th century, St. Andrew's cross came to be described as X-shaped. Both Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches recognize St. Andrew's feast day (the traditional day of his martyrdom) on November 30.
It all began near Rome in 312 AD when, on the night of a make-or-break battle against a rival emperor, he saw the symbol X P (Greek for the first two letters of 'Christ') in the dazzling light of the setting sun and then had a dream in which he was promised victory. Constantine ordered his troops to hold the Christian cross at the front of the army, and won.