My main topic is saunas, but St. Urho’s Tay is March 16.
It’s a madcap celebration for people with Finnish roots — or Finnish friends.
The next posts will delve into this fun day while the sauna
stove is heating.
The origins of St. Urho’s Tay, these Finnish-American
festivities, are clouded in history — or maybe not. But that’s beside the
point, which is simply to have as much fun March 16 as the Irish do the
following day, on St. Patrick’s Day.
The legend in short: Grasshoppers suddenly overran the
country, threatening the grape crops (and others). No one could get rid of them
— until Urho, a Finnish boy, used very powerful magic words “Heinäsirkka,
heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen” (Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to hell!).
Amazingly, the hoppers disappeared.
This year the big day falls on a Sunday. To support the
occasion, wear nile green and royal purple, colors which represent the
grasshoppers and grapes. Enjoy a bottle of nice wine. Or sip on a grasshopper
cocktail, a minty creamy concoction. Chocolate-covered insects have much less
appeal, however.
Nikki
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