Why is the Tenerife flag the same as Scotland's?
The Tenerife flag, as you can see, seems to be the same as the Scottish
one. There are several possible explanations for this. I'll leave you to decide
which to believe.
1. They are the same, because Scotland and Tenerife share the same patron
saint - Andrew, or, as he's known on the Canary isle, San Andres. The story has
it that the saint arrived on the island just as the new wine was being
produced. Andres was keen to make a good impression with the locals and took
part in the celebrations with gusto, ending up a little worse for wear. While
in a drunken stupor, the local children played a joke on him, tying pots and
pans to his clothes. Whenever he moved in his sleep, they made an almighty
clatter, waking him up. The children, no doubt, thought this extremely funny,
but I doubt that San Andres was amused.
Nowadays, on the eve of his saint's day, November 29th, local children
collect tin cans of all shapes and sizes, tie them together and drag them through
the streets in his honour. Quite commendable, but it don't half make a racket!
2. They are not the same at all, as the two backgrounds are slightly
different shades of blue. (That one's
quite boring, isn't it?)
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3. San Andres is the patron
saint of Tenerife and he was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Hence the
"X" on the flag.
4. In 1797, the British Navy
attacked the port of Santa Cruz, Tenerife, led by Rear-Admiral Nelson.
Unusually for one of the finest battle tacticians of his day, Nelson, along
with his fleet suffered a humiliating defeat. The flag, a white saltaire on a navy
blue background, was captured from one of the ships and eventually adopted by
the victorious Tinerfeños as their own.
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