St. Urho
The annual St. Urho Day celebration
is the
hi-lite of the month of March.
The Kabetogama Community
Club hosts the event every
year.
The legend of St. Urho began in Northern Minnesota in the 1950s.
However, there are differing opinions
as to whether it began
with the fables
created by Sulo Havumaki of Bemidji, or the
tongue-in-cheek tales
told by Richard Mattson of Virginia.
Either way, the legend has grown
among Finnish-Americans to the
point where St. Urho is known across
the United States and Canada, and even in Finland.
St. Urho's Day is celebrated on March 16th, the day prior to the
better known feast of some minor saint
from Ireland,
who was alleged to have
driven the snakes from that island. driven the snakes from that island.
The legend says St. Urho chased the grasshoppers out of ancient
Finland, thus saving the grape crop
and the jobs of
Finnish vineyard workers.
He did this by uttering the phrase: "Heinäsirkka,
heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly translated:
"Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!").
His
feast is celebrated by wearing the colors
Royal Purple and Nile Green. St. Urho is nearly always represented
with grapes and grasshoppers
as part of the picture.
Ode to Saint Urho
by Gene McCavic & Richard Mattson; Virginia,
MN
Ooksi kooksi coolama vee
Santia Urho is ta poy for me!
He sase out ta hoppers as pig as pirds.
Neffer peefor haff I hurd tose words!
He reely tolt tose pugs of kreen
Braffest Finn I effer seen
Some celebrate for St. Pat unt hiss nakes
Putt Urho poyka kot what it takes.
He kot tall and trong from feelia sour
Unt ate kala moyakka effery hour.
Tat's why tat kuy could sase toes peetles
What krew as thick as chack bine neetles.
So let's give a cheer in hower pest vay
On Sixteenth of March, St. Urho's Tay.
