Purple and Green

« Finns enjoying a walk out on the grasshopper-free ice in -20C weather thanks to St. Urho. »

Today is St. Patrick's Day but yesterday, yesterday was St. Urho's Day, both of which are goofy folklore that have metamorphosed into back-to-back drinking holidays. The only Urho people think of in Finland is the former president, Urho Kekkonen, not the guy who apparently drove the grasshoppers out of Finland in mid-winter and saved the grape harvest. I asked a bunch of people about St. Urho and every one said, "Kekkonen?". There's a statue of Urho in Minnesota where the dedication plate reads:

THE LEGEND OF ST. URHO

One of the lesser known, but extraordinary legends of ages past is the legend of St. Urho-Patron Saint of the Finnish vinyard workers.

Before the last glacial period wild grapes grew with abundance in the area now known as Finland. Archeologists have uncovered evidence of this scratched on the thigh bones of the gieant bears that once roamed northern Europe. The wild grapes were threatened by a plague of grasshoppers until St. Urho banished the lot of them with a few selected Finnish words.

In memory of this impressive demonstration of the Finnish language, Finnish people celebrate on March 16, the day before St. Patrick's day. It tends to serve as a reminder that St. Pat's day is just around the corner and is thus celebrated by squares at sunrise on March 16. Finnish women and children dressed in royal purple and nile green gather around the shores of the many lakes in Finland and chant what St. Urho chanted many years ago.

"HEINASIRKKA, HEINASIRKKA, MENETAALTA HIITEEN."
(Translated: "GRASSHOPPER, GRASSHOPPER, GO AWAY!")

Adult male, (people, not grasshoppers) dressed in green costumes gather on the hills overlooking the lakes, listen to the chant and then kicking out like grasshoppers, they slowly disappear to change costumes from green to purple. The celebration ends with singing and dancing polkas and schottisches and drinking grape juice, though these activities may occur in varying sequences. Color for the day is royal purple and nile green.

SULO HAVUMAKI

The only thing that's green and purple around this time of year is the vomit on the sidewalks. Honest. I found a paper online Ethnic Symbols: Their Role in Maintaining and Constructing Finnish American where the Finnish author tries in earnest to figure out what the American Finns are on about but fails.

Lastly, I will point out that the item St. Urho was ranked as the most controversial item on this list. St. Urho is the fictional Saint of the Finnish Americans who supposedly stopped an invasion of grasshoppers. It seems that there is great debate as to whether St. Urho should be considered a true symbol of Finnishness.

Finnishness? The only Urho these people think of is Kekkonen and he has a fountain. Not to mention where are the vinyards in Finland? In March? This has Hallmark Drinking Holiday written all over it. It is Finnish only in the 'hey, it's cold out, let's go drinking' aspect. :)

Another Finn in the US critques the whole St. Urho's thing which is pretty funny. There are also St. Urho's kitsch for those who really embrace the holiday. I nearly wet my pants reading the Ode to St. Urho which sounds like some Irish brogue gone wrong more than Finnglish. Arrrr, where are me lucky charms....

Ooksi kooksi coolama vee
Santia Urho is ta poy for me!
He sase out ta hoppers as pig as pirds.
Neffer peefor haff I hurd tose words!

He reely tolt tose pugs of kreen
Braffest Finn I effer seen
Some celebrate for St. Pat unt hiss nakes

He kot tall and trong from feelia sour
Unt ate kala moyakka effery hour.
Tat's why tat kuy could sase toes peetles
What krew as thick as chack bine neetles.

So let's give a cheer in hower pest vay
On Sixteenth of March, St. Urho's Tay.

And then, and then, and then...then there is the Urho carol which is tragic at best....

Urho Boy

(To the tune of Jingle Bells)

Dashing 'cross the yard
With a pitchfork in one hand,
Urho sees his foe
Munching all his land.

Grapes both green and red
Falling from the vine,
Urho has to get those hoppers
Or there will be no wine.

Oh, Urho boy, Urho boy,
The bravest that we've seen
Use the sisu that you've got
To get those bugs of green.

Hey!

Urho boy, Urho boy,
Our future's in your hands.
Stop those hoppers in their tracks
And save our mother land!

So, no, St. Urho's isn't Finnish, not in the least, but drinking holidays are always welcome around here so in that respect it might be adopted someday. And, for those Americans with their pictures taken in front of St. Urho's pub, I regret to inform you that it was named for Kekkonen. :)

Happy St. Patrick's Day :)