Happy St. Urho's Day

[JRTJH]

Being so far "up north" we participate in many of the celebrations around this area. The UP and much of "Minnie-soda" was founded by the Finns who settled here long before the "trolls" came north from "dune dare".... Steeped in ancient tradition (dating all the way back to about 1950) St. Urho was said to have driven the grasshoppers out of Finland, saving the grapes so his St. Urho's Day is celebrated with wine, usually multiple times during the celebration. Apparently, he drove the grasshoppers out by uttering the phrase: "Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly translated: "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!").

Anyway, always being "one up on the Irish", the Finns decided to celebrate St. Urho's Day on March 16, one day before the Irish celebrate St Paddy's Day...

[ctbruce]

Never heard that story before. Now something else to do on Snake Saturday.

[ADQ K9]

Thanks for the history lesson:)
Corned beef and cabbage on the menu tonight at the inlaws.

[JRTJH]

Thanks for the history lesson:)
Corned beef and cabbage on the menu tonight at the inlaws.

Same here, corned beef, cabbage, carrots and red potatoes (I can't manage the rutabaga) with green beer. Last night was purple beer and a pastie.

[chuckster57]

Im crying FOUL!!

And in protest I am having turkey roast and mashed potatoes/gravy. For the record I like corned beef but not the other stuff(ing).

[66joej]

Being so far "up north" we participate in many of the celebrations around this area. The UP and much of "Minnie-soda" was founded by the Finns who settled here long before the "trolls" came north from "dune dare".... Steeped in ancient tradition (dating all the way back to about 1950) St. Urho was said to have driven the grasshoppers out of Finland, saving the grapes so his St. Urho's Day is celebrated with wine, usually multiple times during the celebration. Apparently, he drove the grasshoppers out by uttering the phrase: "Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly translated: "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!").

Anyway, always being "one up on the Irish", the Finns decided to celebrate St. Urho's Day on March 16, one day before the Irish celebrate St Paddy's Day...

John I think winter has been too long for you!:lol:

[ADQ K9]

Im crying FOUL!!

And in protest I am having turkey roast and mashed potatoes/gravy. For the record I like corned beef but not the other stuff(ing).
Nuthin wrong with that.

[EagleandFox]

Happy St. Urho's day as well! My dad is from Finland - and we never heard of this important Holiday until we moved to Minnesota from near Cleveland 42 years ago (!!!!) ! So on St. Urho's or on St. Patty's day, we've been celebrating both with an Irish meal and a Finnish dessert. This year I made "Vispipuuro" - whipped air pudding made from fruit juice and cream of wheat (or farina). Cooked together and then whipped till light and fluffy!

[rjrelander]

My mom was Finnish. We usually go with lihamojakka (meat stew) on St. Urho's day. My aunt used to make kalamojakka (fish stew) complete with fish heads. Basically a celebration of cleaning out whatever was left in the root cellar after a long winter.

[JRTJH]

My DW's aunt married a Finn, Pete Jujutenin in Marquette. Uncle Pete drank Stroh's (far too much) and was a commercial fisherman. He had an "OLD" 26' cuddy cabin and invited me to go fishing with him one Saturday. I met him at the Marquette Upper Harbor (by the iron ore docks) before sunup. He was sitting on the boat waiting for me when I arrived. I asked if we were ready to leave, he said, "Not till we load the beer". He had 2 cases of Stroh's in the back of his old truck. We loaded that and headed out into Lake Superior. As the sun came up, the lights of Marquette disappeared and so did every semblance of land. We fished all morning, caught several nice lake trout and a few jack salmon. In the early afternoon, there was just one case of beer left (I wasn't drinking) and the wind started getting brisk. The lake began to get choppy, followed by some very large swells. Within the hour we were "fishing up, then fishing down, then fishing up again as the swells grew to 20-30 feet tall. I suggested to Uncle Pete that maybe it was time to head back. His reply, "Whaaa? We still got beer, eh?"... We kept fishing, I was "reeling from seasickness" and Uncle Pete was slowly trolling, keeping the boat headed through the swells so we never really rolled over, but we rolled much, MUCH more than my stomach could tolerate.

To make a long story short, with 4 beers left, Uncle Pete stood up, walked to the back of the boat, relieved himself, looked around and said, "Well, we oughta head back, eh?" To which I immediately agreed !!!!! He started the boat, never looked at a compass (I don't think it worked anyway) and pointed us toward where he wanted to go. No land in sight, no inkling of which way to go, he headed "there"..... An hour or so later, I started seeing a "distant shore" on the horizon. Soon, the Cliff's Charcoal chimneys came into view followed by the iron ore docks. He rounded the breakwater into the upper harbor and during that entire return trip, I don't think he changed course once. How he navigated??? Between the Stroh's, the swells, the rocking of the boat and the winds, I'd have ended up going in circles forever, but he'd been doing it for so many years, it was all second nature to him.

It was on that trip that he told me about St. Urho and the legend. Until then, I'd never heard of him. My DW and I joined Uncle Pete and Aunt Eva and their 11 kids the next March and have celebrated every St. Urho's day since then. She could make an awesome fish stew. I never had "trout cheeks" before and learned that they really exist, eh.....

He also introduced me to "dippin' smelts, eh?" that spring. Who-da ever thunk such a thing as standing knee deep in an icy stream with a dip net in one hand and a 6 pack of Stroh's in the other, waiting for fresh water sardines to show up.... But, they do, eh...

[notanlines]

I remember vividly the smelting treks to Lake Superior, seining in icy waters, filling milk cans from the farm, and, of all things, THROWING THE BIG ONES BACK! Who would have thought....