Wednesday, March 16, 2011

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!





2 comments:

Kandi said...

Ha! Wow, that made me smile! :)

nanniepannie said...

Okay Jill, I had to Google it and there he was...St. Urho. Not quite as old as St Patrick.