St. Urho - The Finnish Saint Who Saved Wine

Picture this: The serene Finnish countryside, where vineyards flourish under the gentle summer sun, their grapevines heavy with ripe, juicy clusters. Suddenly, a dark cloud of grasshoppers descends, threatening to devour the precious grapes and doom Finland’s wine production. Enter St. Urho, the towering hero who, with a booming voice and a peculiar diet, saves the day.

Who is St. Urho?

According to legend, St. Urho was a giant of a man, standing over seven feet tall. His strength was attributed to a diet rich in viili (a type of Finnish sour milk) and kala mojakka (fish soup). But it was his thunderous voice that truly made him a legend.

When hordes of grasshoppers swarmed Finland’s vineyards, devouring the precious grapes, St. Urho confronted them head-on. With a mighty roar, he bellowed, “Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen!” (“Grasshopper, grasshopper, go away!”). Terrified by his booming command, the grasshoppers fled, and Finland’s wine was saved!

The Birth of a Legend

Now, if you’re scratching your head and thinking, “Wait… Finland has vineyards?” you’re not alone. The most fascinating part of this tale is that it wasn’t born in Finland at all. Instead, St. Urho’s legend originated in Northern Minnesota in the 1950s.

Richard Mattson, a Finnish-American, is credited with creating St. Urho as a playful response to the raucous celebrations of St. Patrick’s Day. Why should the Irish have all the fun? So, in a brilliant move, Mattson invented St. Urho’s. The legend quickly took on a life of its own, spreading throughout Finnish-American communities and evolving from a simple joke into a beloved annual tradition.

How to Celebrate St. Urho’s Day

St. Urho’s Day is celebrated every year on March 16th, the day before St. Patrick’s Day. To honor the saint who (allegedly) saved Finnish wine, Finnish-Americans wear purple and green—purple for the grapes and green for the grasshoppers. Some communities even hold parades, feasts, and parties to mark the occasion. And, of course, raising a glass of your favorite beverage to toast St. Urho is a must!