St Urho Day in Finland

When & Where St Urho Day (Finland's Patron Saint) occurs every March 16th in Finland, Canada and America especially Minnesota- who are suspected of creating this festival during the 1950’s.

What to expect Women go out to the fields or by the lakesides and the men go a bit further away- if there’s a hill they climb it it and then descend cruching grasshoppers and shouting….

"Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen"

St. Urho, Thousands of years ago.
"Grasshopper, Grasshopper go to hell"

St. Urho Day Minnesota

What to expect It's Finlands National Saint Day: he is also the Saint of Grasshoppers. Women go out to the fields or by the lakesides and the men go a bit further away- if there’s a hill they climb it it and then descend cruching grasshoppers and shouting.

St Urho History

History According to legend this Finnish festival was created in the 1950's by the ex-pat Finnish people living in Minnesota. The legend is that St Urho shouted (the above line) and crushed all the grasshoppers out of Finland so that their grapes and crops would be safe. Conspiracy theorists figure that it was created as an attempt to take the Mick out of St. Patricks Day which falls on the 17th March- apparently the Irish Saint is responsible for getting rid of all the snakes (and their skeletal remains !) out of Ireland.

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