St. Urho's Day
Monday, March 16, 2026
St. Urho's Day is a humorous, fictional holiday celebrated on March 16, primarily among Finnish-Americans and Finnish-Canadians, serving as a playful counterpart to St. Patrick's Day. The holiday commemorates the fictional Saint Urho, who is said to have driven grasshoppers, or heinäsirkka, out of Finland's vineyards, thereby saving the ancient Finnish grape crop. Though entirely invented, the holiday has gained genuine cultural traction in Finnish diaspora communities across North America, especially in Minnesota's Iron Range, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and areas of Canada with significant Finnish populations. St. Urho's Day incorporates characteristically Finnish colors of purple and green, representing the grapes and the grasshoppers, and has become a cherished part of Finnish-American cultural identity. The celebration typically includes parades, poetry readings featuring the legend, and consumption of traditional Finnish foods and beverages.
History
The legend of Saint Urho was invented in the 1950s by Richard Mattson, a Finnish-American from Virginia, Minnesota, who wanted to create a Finnish equivalent to St. Patrick's Day. According to the folk tale, Saint Urho banished the grasshoppers from Finland by shouting Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen! which translates to Grasshopper, grasshopper, go from here to the devil! The story was further popularized by Kathy and Loren Lystila and by Sulo Havumaki, a psychology professor at Bemidji State College, who published accounts of the legend. The holiday spread through Finnish-American social clubs and organizations, and by the 1970s it was being celebrated in Finnish communities throughout North America. In 1976, the Minnesota Senate officially recognized St. Urho's Day. The holiday has since been promoted as part of Finnish heritage celebrations, even though it has no roots in Finland itself, where March 16 is an ordinary calendar date.
How It's Celebrated
St. Urho's Day is celebrated with playful enthusiasm by Finnish-American communities. Participants wear purple and green clothing, representing the grapes saved from the fictional grasshopper plague. Parades and festivals are organized in towns such as Menahga and Virginia, Minnesota, featuring floats, Finnish folk music, and readings of the St. Urho legend. Traditional Finnish foods such as pannukakku (Finnish oven pancake), nisu (cardamom bread), and kalakukko (fish pasty) are served. The celebration often includes the drinking of grape juice or wine in honor of the saved grape harvest. Children create crafts featuring grasshoppers and Saint Urho, and community contests are held for the best purple and green attire. Finnish saunas and coffee breaks are also a staple of the unofficial holiday.