Definitely DESULTORY: Who is the Finnish Saint Urho?
Posted By RichC on March 28, 2026
Neither my wife or I are Finnish or know much about Finland (although Brenda’s mom was 100% Swede – so I call that close) … 
but one of the stories that our beach-walking friend Byron (Finnish heritage) shared with us was the tale of Saint Urho (see below the break for a few more details)? 😉
Anyway, I decided not to wait another year for March 16th to roll around before posting the humorous story and AI artwork that Byron shared.
It was a pleasure walking the beach with you over the past few months and getting to know you better!
As I mentioned, my ancestry is Finnish.For that reason l’ve taken an interest in the legend of St.
Urho, the fictional individual who drove the grasshoppers out Finland and prevented total destruction of the grape crop.
Wanting to have a holiday that was bigger and better than St. Patrick’s Day, a couple of witty individuals in Virginia, MN created the story in 1953.
Appearing below is the story I crafted and sent to my Finnish cousins on St. Urho’s Day. The image below was AI generated.
While walking the beach this morning I ran across the man himself…St. Urho! He was on on a flight from Oulu, Finland to Virginia, MN but, because of the blizzard, the flight was diverted to West Palm Beach Airport and he ended up at the Suomi Talo – Finland House in Lantana. He is a typical Finnish male, a painfully shy man of few words who simply wanted to be left alone. However, I was able to get him to engage in some small talk. He wants to go to Ketola’s Department Store in Virginia to purchase a new pair of boots, see some relatives, and hopefully get to the Hoito Restaurant in Thunder Bay for a big bowl of mojakka.
He says Hei to all!FYI … the Soumi Talo Finland House is a real building that still exists on Federal Highway (US-1) In Lantana, Fl. It was established in the 1930s as a gathering place for Finnish immigrants and continues to serve that purpose today!
Thanks for sharing the story, Byron … and for the enjoyable conversations on our daily beach walks!
St. Urho is a fictional saint of Finland created by Finnish Americans in Northern Minnesota in 1956 to celebrate their heritage and provide a Finnish counterpart to St. Patrick’s Day. His feast day is celebrated on March 16, the day before St. Patrick’s Day, allowing Finnish communities to start their celebrations a day early.
The legend claims that St. Urho saved ancient Finland’s grape crops from a plague of grasshoppers by shouting the incantation, “Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen!” (“Grasshopper, grasshopper, go from hence to Hell!”). He is said to have gained his strength and booming voice from a diet of viili (sour milk) and kala mojakka (fish soup).
Key details about the celebration include:
- Colors: Participants wear Royal Purple (representing grapes) and Nile Green (representing vines or dead grasshoppers).
- Locations: Celebrations are prominent in Menahga, Minnesota (home to the original statue), Finland, Minnesota, Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Butte, Montana.
- Origins: The character was invented by Richard Mattson and elaborated by Gene McCavic at Ketola’s Department Store in Virginia, Minnesota, likely influenced by the 1956 election of Finnish President Urho Kekkonen.
- Traditions: Festivities often include parades, the “Ode to St. Urho” (sung in a parody of Finnish-English), and the consumption of grape juice or wine.
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