Photo: discoverscottishdance.com

PULSE NEWS MEXICO  

The St. Andrews Society will host its annual gala ball to honor its namesake, the Caledonian nation’s patron saint, Andrew the Apostle, and celebrate all things Scottish at the Club France in Colonia Florida on Saturday, Nov. 18.

The evening will include a live performance of bagpipe and drum music, Scottish dancing, traditional Scottish fare and a celebration of the deep-rooted Scottish-Mexican friendship.

There will also be a ceremonial grand march of colors in which family plaids are paraded, and a “Highland Toast” – a colorful display in which kilted gents stand on their chairs and raise one leg on the table in order “stir fear in the hearts of Englishmen” – followed by an emotive rendition of Scotland’s national anthem, “Flower O’ Scotland” and “Auld Lang Syne.”

This year, the St. Andrews Society has decided to donate all proceeds from the ball to support victims of the devastating earthquake that rocked Mexico City last Sept. 19 through Fundación Amistad Británico-Mexicana, a nonprofit organization founded two days after the 1985 quake by a group of British residents and fellow Mexicans to support education and health sectors during the reconstruction phase that has since aided Mexicans after numerous natural disasters.

The Mexico City St. Andrew’s Society was founded in 1893 by silver-mining engineers in Real del Monte, Hidalgo, and builders of then-President Porfirio Diaz’s railways to promote Scottish culture and support local charities.

Today, the society includes around 120 families.

For tickets to the ball and more information, consult the St. Andrew’s Society webpage at http://www.standrews.mx.