Happy St. Urho’s Day

Just as the Irish have St. Patrick (Pádraig) whose feat was casting the snakes out of Ireland, the Finns have St. Urho.

According to a modern-day legend created by two gents in Minnesota, St. Urho was supposed to have cast grasshoppers (or frogs) out of Finland and saved the grape crops by the power of his loud voice, which he obtained by drinking feelia sour (sour whole milk) and eating kala mojakka (fish soup). Urho in the Finnish language has the meaning of hero or brave.

The feast of St. Urho is commemorated March 16 each year by wearing bright purple and green and participating in parades and festivals in many Finn-American and Finn-Canadian communities. There are even St. Urho statues in Menahga and Finland, Minn. In Finland itself, St. Urho is less widely known but university students in the city of Turku do organize a play each year centered around the mythical character.

The significance of March 16 is debatable but a convenient precursor to that other saint’s holiday with the green shamrocks.

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ODE TO SAINT URHO (rough English translation)

Ooksi kooksi coolama vee [1,2,3,4,5]
Saint Urho is the boy for me!
He chased out the hoppers as big as birds
Never before have I heard those words!

He really told those bugs of green
Bravest Finn I ever seen
Some celebrate for St. Pat and his snakes
But Urho poika (boy) got what it takes

He got strong and tall from viili sour
And ate kalamojakka (fish soup) every hour
That's why that guy could chase those beetles
What grew as thick as jack pine needles

So let’s give a cheer in our best way
On the sixteenth of March, St. Urho's Day

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Footnote: The real patron saint of Finland is Bishop Henry, whose feast day occurs on January 19.

Image courtesy sainturho.com.