St. Urho’s Day is praised on March 16th, the day before the better-known feast of some minor saint from Ireland, who was asserted to have driven the snakes from that island. On the day before St. Patrick’s Day, observe St. Urho’s Day to honor the Patron Saint of the Finnish vineyard laborers.
Saint Urho is a fictional saint of Finland, made and expounded by Finnish Americans during the 1950s, to celebrate their legacy and broaden celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Urho’s Day celebrates the legend of St. Urho, which started in Northern Minnesota during the 1950s. The day spread through Minnesota among Finnish communities on the Mesabi Iron Range and is presently celebrated in Finnish communities over the United States and Canada. St. Urho’s Day even advanced toward Finland.
Government authorities have made decrees for St. Urho’s Day. For instance, previous Minnesota Governor Wendell Anderson announced it in 1975. In numerous communities, it is more broadly celebrated than St. Patrick’s Day, a holiday that happens the next day.
The legend of St. Urho began in Northern Minnesota during the 1950s. Notwithstanding, there are varying opinions whether it started with the tales made by Sulo Havumaki of Bemidji, or the tongue-in-cheek stories told by Richard Mattson of Virginia. In any case, the legend has developed among North Americans of Finnish descent to where St. Urho is known and celebrated over the United States and Canada, and even in Finland.
St. Urho’s Day was made by Richard Mattson, a worker at Ketola’s Department Store in Virginia, Minnesota, in the spring of 1956. The name “Urho” was conceivably used because Urho Kekkonen had just become President of Finland that year. The legend initially said that St. Urho removed frogs from old Finland, to spare the grape crops, and consequently the jobs of vineyard laborers. Later the legend was changed—potentially by Sulo Havumaki, a psychology professor of Bemidji, Minnesota—to say that Urho had ousted grasshoppers, not frogs.
Mattson, alongside Gene McCavic, stated “Ode to Saint Urho.” The poem recounted a Finnish boy who got strong on sour entire milk and fish soup and used his voice to pursue out frogs. It was later changed to reflect the driving out of grasshoppers; when expelling the grasshoppers, Urho is currently thought to have said a Finnish phrase that can be meant “Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to hell!”
The original poem likewise said St. Urho’s Day occurred on May 24. It might have been changed to March 16 with the goal that it would be celebrated the day before St. Patrick’s Day. St. Patrick was another saint, yet a genuine one, who was known for probably driving out creatures—in this case, driving snakes from Ireland.
How to Celebrate St. Urho’s Day?
If you want to celebrate on St. Urho’s Day that is particular and novel, at that point wear purple and green. Recount to individuals about the story of St. Urho and why you think that it’s fascinating. In case you’re brave, travel to Minnesota and visit the statue raised in towns, for example, Virginia and Bemidji. Offer St. Urho’s Day on your preferred social media websites and recount to everybody about the narrative of St. Urho and see what reactions you could get.
Celebrate by wearing the colors of St. Urho’s Day: regal purple and Nile green. There are a couple of statues committed to Urho that you could visit in Minnesota. One is in Menahga, and another is in the city of Finland. You could likewise go to some St. Urho’s Day festivities. Both of the previously mentioned urban communities have them.
Festivities additionally occur in numerous different urban areas, for example, Butte, Montana; Thunder Bay, Ontario; and Turku, Finland. You may look for and submit different occasions. You could likewise peruse the “Ode to Saint Urho,” and even observe the first sonnet, which was composed of wrapping paper and is in plain view at the Minnesota Discovery Center.
If you can’t travel today, eat a few grapes and make yourself a grasshopper to drink. There are a lot of Finnish nourishments you could likewise make. You could likewise acquire information about St. Urho’s Day by perusing The Legend of St. Urho.
