St. Andrew was the first apostle and is the patron saint of Greece, Scotland, and Russia. His feast day Andrzejki (pronounced an-dzey-ki) is also the biggest party day of the year in neighboring Poland, celebrated on the night of the 29th through 30th of November.

Traditionally, the holiday was only observed by young single girls, though today both young men and women join the party to see their futures - and to drink enough to forget the present at the moment as well!

Here in the United States the fattened time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is generally reserved for little more than shopping and digestion. Across the pond however, from Edinburgh to Warsaw, an important holiday is celebrated in a myriad of different ways: St. Andrew’s Day, the last raging feast before the traditional pre-Christmas fast.

As the patron of singers and performers of all stripes, it is customary for people to don his colors (blue and white) and take part in all sorts of entertaining activities. Customarily St. Andrew’s Day is the most auspicious day of the year for divination, and everything from tarot cards to examining wax formations poured through keys is employed to unlock the secrets of the future.

This year St. Andrew’s Day comes to New Orleans.

On Saturday, November 29th at Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits on Poland Avenue, you are invited to celebrate this cultural phenomenon. Brought to you by the Reverend Psycho Ward and NolaBulls, the same people who orchestrated the Running of the Bulls in the French Quarter, this will be more than a simple party, it is a transcontinental event!

With a bagpipe-led parade, traditional scavenger hunt, fortunetelling, vodka tasting and even a kielbasa-eating contest, St. Andrew’s Day will transform Bacchanal into a mystical wonderland of infinite delights!

Festivities begin at 4pm and continue until after midnight.