St. Urho's Day

I was proudly raised in

a community that

had many Finlanders

living there.

This post is in honor of them,

in celebration

of St. Urho's Day!

For those of you that don't know,

St. Urho chased

the grasshoppers away from an

area of ancient Finland that

was prolific

with grapes.

Women and children dressed in

green and orange and repeated

St. Urho's cry...

"Go away grasshoppers, go away!"

(I've provided the loose translation).

Men stood on the hills,

dressed in green,

and hopped away

like grasshoppers and

disappeared over the crests.

The colors of St. Urho's Day

(March 16)

remain green and orange in honor

of St. Urho.

Ode to St. Urho

One, two, three, five



Saint Urho is the boy for me.


He chased out the grasshoppers that were as big as birds,


Never before have I heard those words.


He really told those bugs of green,


Bravest Finn I've ever seen.


Some celebrate for St. Pat and his snakes,


But Urho boy has got what it takes.


He got tall and strong on feelia sour (sour buttermilk)


And ate kalla moyakka (fish head stew) every hour.


That's why that guy could chase those beetles,


That 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!

As the fine Finns say:

 

on hyvä päivä

or as we say here...

Have a good day!

I may have crashed spell checker with this post!