The Scottish Government is building on the St. Andrew's Day celebrations of previous years by giving its 7,500 staff an annual holiday on 30 November, or an alternative day around the date, and urging other organisations to do the same.

Thousands took part in Edinburgh's celebrations marking Scotland's national day in Princes Street Gardens in 2007, kicking off Edinburgh's Winter Festivals.

"The overwhelming majority of people who attended said they would be more likely to celebrate St Andrew's Day, and they also backed moves to make it a holiday," said Culture Minister Linda Fabiani.

Of Scottish residents surveyed in Edinburgh at the St Andrew's Day event, 95% thought "St Andrew's Day is a good opportunity to celebrate Scotland's national identity"; 71% said they had not celebrated St Andrew's Day in 2006; 83% said they were either very likely or likely to celebrate St Andrew's Day in 2008; and 83% said they were either very likely or likely to celebrate St Andrew's Day in 2008 if it was a statutory public holiday

The bill to create a St Andrew's Day Bank Holiday was originally introduced by Dennis Canavan in 2006 and enacted in January 2007 as a voluntary holiday. Currently, Angus and Midlothian Councils observe St Andrew's Day as a public holiday.

A "delighted" Canavan responded to the Scottish Government's decision saying: "I hope that other employers in both public and private sectors will follow the Scottish Government's lead. In particular, I would urge all local authorities in Scotland to give school pupils a St Andrew's Day holiday on or around November 30. That would encourage working parents to ask their employers for a day off so that they could celebrate St Andrew's Day along with their children."

St Andrew's Day falls on a Sunday in 2008 so the holiday will be on Monday, December 1.