Celebrating Scottish Heritage & Culture

 

 

A very warm welcome to,

 

The Saint Andrew’s Society of Saint John website.

​

Our aim is to foster a fond relationship with the traditions and history of Scotland. There are many sister Societies throughout the world and we in Saint John, New Brunswick are proud of the fact that our Society is the oldest in Canada, being established in 1798 two years after the passing of Scotland’s national poet, and well before the confederation of Canada.

​

​Since its formation, our Saint Andrew’s Society has endeavored not only to help fellow Scots and their descendants in times of need, but also to keep the Scottish culture alive in this community.  We have hosted an annual formal dinner in conjunction with St. Andrew’s Day (held on or around November 30th each year) since our formation in 1798.  The newly elected Officers of the Society are installed during the evening’s events, which honours guest speakers, Scottish music, and a dinner featuring Scotland’s national dish, Haggis, which is piped into the hall with great ceremony and a rendition of Burn’s poem “Address to a Haggis”.

 

In addition to St. Andrew’s Day, our Society hosts a number of other annual events.   We join with numerous groups around the world in hosting an annual “Burns Night” (held on or around January 25th) featuring Highland dance and Pipers.  We also organize an annual flag raising at Saint John City Hall which occurs on April 6th,“Tartan Day”, a date recognized by the Legislature of New Brunswick.  This date was chosen to mark the Declaration of Arbroath which was signed in Scotland in 1320.  We also have other fun events throughout the year!

 

We are proud of our history, and we continue to evolve and grow.  Starting initiallly as a fraternal organisation, we have been open to all genders for the past decade and welcome everyone who wants to celebrate their Scottish roots! 

 

Please enjoy our website, and Slàinte mhath!

 

(a Gaelic expression meaning “good health” and pronounced slan-je-vah)