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Ode to St. Urho
St. Urho Statues
St. Urho Celebrations
Origin of St. Urho
Calendar of Finnish Events
Links - St. Urho sites
Links - Finnish sites
Does the legend of St. Urho have its source in the Kalevala?
St. Urho's Wife, Sinikka
Ballad of St. Urho
St. Urho on a rally car
Richard Mattson passed away in June 2001. His story is reprinted here.
In Defense of Sulo Havumaki as originator of the St. Urho legend
Another claim to the origination of the St. Urho legend.
www.mojakka.com
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Saint Urho Welcomes You!
St. Urho is said to have chased the grasshoppers out of Finland, thus saving the grape crop.
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The legend of St. Urho originated 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 North Americans of Finnish descent to the point where St. Urho is known and celebrated 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.
The legend of St. Urho says he 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.
We hope you enjoy our effort to honor this mythical Finnish-American hero. Please feel free to share your St. Urho experiences and celebrations by clicking on the phrase below and sending a note to the webmaster.
Tim "Timo Winkenen" Winker
Randy "Uncle Toivo" Jokela
Parade Goes Both Ways in Barnes, Wisconsin
The parade in Barnes celebrates the feast of Saint Urho ... and the feast of Saint Patrick. Beginning at 1:00 PM on Saturday, March 17, 2012, the parade from the Cedar Lodge Steakhouse & Grille to the Barnes Trading Post is in honor of St. Urho. At 2:30, the parade reforms and travels from the Barnes Trading Post back to the Cedar Lodge Steakhouse to honor St. Patrick.
Festivities continue late into the evening.
Details here.
Butte, Montana continues to toast Saint Urho
As a mining town, Butte attracted a fair share of Finns, and their descendants carry on Finnish traditions. Saint Urho's Day is celebrated at the Helsinki Bar and Yacht Club, so named because it is “on the western shore of the fabulous Berkeley Pit Mine.” With the Saint Urho holiday falling on a Friday this year, the party is expected to carry over well into Saturday, and maybe beyond.
Read More
Kotka, Finland to commemorate Saint Urho
The Finnish American Society of Kotka, Finland, is holding its first ever St. Urho's Day Pub Evening on March 16th. It will be at the For You Pub.
Kotka is east of Helsinki on the Gulf of Finland.
(I find this particularly interesting as my late neighbor was Helen Kotka.)
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Finlayson, MN Festivites to be held March 31, 2012
The St Urho’s Day celebration & parade in Finlayson, Minnesota, occurs on the last Saturday in March. It includes a parade, pancake breakfast, dance, medallion hunt, tournaments (volleyball, basketball, and my favorite, cribbage), food, and children’s activities.
Events are held at the Finlayson Community Center and are sponsored by the Finlayson-Giese Lions Club.
This year’s celebration will be March 31th, 2012, featuring Lion Bob Ryan as St. Urho for the 2012 – 2013 parade season. Lion Bob is a Charter Member of the Finlayson-Giese Lions Club and was actively involved in building the Community Center.
Note that St. Urho spices are used to flavor the pork chops served that day, and those spices are available year-round at Chris’ Food Center in Sandstone, MN.
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Was St. Urho a Failure?
A book arrived in the mail recently at SaintUrho.com HQ that indicates the grasshopper population in Finland is thriving. The book is titled Suomen heinäsirkat ja hepokatit (The Grasshoppers and Crickets of Finland).
Dr. Sami Karjalainen has written a 200 page book full of color photos of Finnish grasshoppers. The book includes a CD with grasshopper calls.
Read more here.
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