Once upon a time , many many years ago in Finland they say there used to be wild grapes growing all over. They know this from studying the remains of bears found in the area
One season a bunch of grasshoppers with a voracious appetite for grapes happen to hop on into Finland. What to do?
Enter our great Finnish Hero, St Urho!! Waving his pitchfork and chanting "Heinasirkka, heinasirkka menetaaita Hiiten" (which in english means "grasshopper grasshopper skoot") he drove the grasshopper out of the vineyards. It is wished that he lived today to drive the mosquitoes from Minnesota.
The Finnish grape farmers were very protective of there fields because they didn't have much of a growing season. It is rumored that they injected Vodka into the grapes to give them a bigger alcohol content. This is the early version of organic farming and pest control.
Feeling so happy and greatful to Urho, they declared him a saint. He drove the grasshopper from the vineyards on March 16th the day befor St Patrick's Days (More on this later).
Every year since then, the Finnish people celebrate St Urho's Day on March 16. The offical color are purple for represent the grapes and green to represent the vines (or dead gresshoppers).
The celebration also includes singing, dancing polkas, and having Mojakkaa (fish soup pronounced like "moy-yah-kah") This is what St Urho ate to give him his strength to fight the grasshoppers.
More late on St Urho wife Sinikka and St Pats Day
Bob
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