St. Urho’s Day (March 16) is a holiday of merriment and fun for the Finnish American community, and one that is unique to our diaspora as it has no analogue in Finland.
Over the years, it’s become a popular festivity far beyond the Iron Range where it first began. Every town celebrates it a little differently and has their own specific traditions and lore surrounding its inception. But who really started it, and where? What’s the right way to celebrate? Why grasshoppers?
FACA has convened a panel to discuss the hotly contested origin and history of St. Urho’s Day in Minnesota. We’ll be joined by James (Jimmy) Johnson of Virginia, MN, who is the Honorary Consul of Finland for northern Minnesota, as well as special guests from Finland (MN!), Menagha and other areas where the holiday has had significant cultural influence.
Join us on Zoom and break out your green and purple clothes, look menacingly at a grasshopper, grab a drink and share your stories of how you celebrate this most Finnesotan of holidays!