01/12/2009 07:24:00

Scotland's Year of Homecoming has gradually been winding down to a close, with just two months of the celebrations to go. This week, one of the biggest events in the Homecoming year took place, as St Andrew's Day saw hundreds of thousands of people flocking to events around the country.

A five-day long extravaganza that culminated in a firework display above the iconic Edinburgh Castle on Monday night, the St Andrew's Day celebrations included a huge volume of events and activities that were perfect for tourists and visitors to ingratiate themselves with the best of Scottish culture. Saturday and Sunday formed the country's annual open weekend, which involved hundreds of institutions opening their doors to the public for free, allowing locals and tourists alike the chance to visit Scotland's biggest attractions.

All across Scotland, cities, towns and villages held ceilidhs, street parties and various other entertainments to mark St Andrew's Day, Scotland's official national day. The day was also dubbed by organisers the "Homecoming Finale" as it was intended as the last big bash before the year of homecoming ended, as well as "St Andrew's Do".

One intriguing event that took place was at the University of Glasgow, where students took part in singing a rendition of the lyrics by Ayrshire-born poet Robert Burns, one of Scotland's most treasured sons from the past, Auld Lang Syne. The aim of the event was to break a world record by singing the song in as many different languages as possible at the same time.

According to The Scotsman, in reaction to the various events staged all across Scotland, Marie Christie, project director of Homecoming, said: "Every part of Scotland has celebrated Homecoming by creating inspirational events."