Who Celebrates St. Urho's Day in Minnesota?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around St. Urho's Day, a celebration with Finnish cultural roots, particularly in Minnesota. Participants share humorous anecdotes, personal connections, and cultural references related to the holiday, as well as comparisons to St. Patrick's Day celebrations.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants express pride in Finnish heritage and the need to celebrate St. Urho before St. Patrick's Day.
  • There are humorous exchanges about the nature of the celebrations, with questions raised about whether they are cultural events or excuses for drinking.
  • One participant shares a poem dedicated to St. Urho, highlighting the character's mythical attributes and the celebration's unique cultural significance.
  • Another participant provides a translation of the poem, noting its representation of Finglish, a blend of Finnish and English.
  • Some participants reflect on personal family histories related to Finnish immigration and their connections to the celebration.
  • There are mentions of local events and parades associated with St. Urho's Day, including a report from a Minneapolis TV station.
  • One participant comments on the fictional nature of St. Urho as a cultural figure, contrasting it with more traditional celebrations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants appear to share a general enthusiasm for St. Urho's Day, but there are differing views on the nature of the celebrations, with some emphasizing cultural significance while others focus on the drinking aspect. The discussion remains somewhat unresolved regarding the balance between cultural celebration and revelry.

Contextual Notes

Some participants reference local traditions and personal anecdotes that may not be universally understood, indicating a reliance on specific cultural knowledge and experiences.

Who May Find This Useful

Individuals interested in Finnish culture, local Minnesota traditions, or the interplay between cultural celebrations and modern festivities may find this discussion engaging.

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We Finns have to get in our licks before the Irish do. :wink:

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Tit ve forket to haf a Pi Tay topik?
 
Hey, I didn't know you knew Finglish! : Your name makes me think more of Transylvania.
 
Enjoy the kalamoyakka!
 
While searching for a suitable image I found the following menu (no hotlinks allowed, apparently):

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22217537@N08/3355117428/

First time I've seen makkara called "Finnish wieners." :rolleyes:

Ah, now I remember: a nakki is the slim type of sausage that would most likely be called a "wiener" in the States. A makkara is a plump juicy thing like a bratwurst.
 
jtbell said:
We Finns have to get in our licks before the Irish do. :wink:

Too late.

Manhattan's popular annual Irish celebration, Fake Patty's Day, is March 12 this year, with the extravaganza taking place a week before spring break begins.

http://www.kstatecollegian.com/news/fake-patty-s-day-celebrating-before-break-1.2510371"
 
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Is this also an excuse to get blind drunk, or more of a cultural event? :wink:
 
Ode to St. Urho:

Ooksie, kooksie, kollme vee
Santia Urho isa poy for me.
He sase out ta hopper as pig as birds,
Neffer peefor haff I hurd dose words!
He really told dose pugs of kreen;
Braffest Finn I effer seen.
Some celebrate for St. Pat unt his snakes,
Putt Urho poyka got what it takes.
He got tall unt strong on feelia sour,
Unt ate kalla moyakka effery hour.
Tats why dat guy could sase dose peetles
What crew as thick as chack bine needles.
So let's give a cheer in hower best vay,
On the sixteenth of March - St. Urho's Day!
 
nismaratwork said:
Is this also an excuse to get blind drunk, or more of a cultural event? :wink:
If you are asking about the link I posted, both I guess. I just happened to see it on the local news about how this year they were better prepared; more potties, more cops.

You see, this is at Kansas State University (a rivalry of "my" Kansas University), drinking is probably the biggest part of it IMO.
 
  • #10
dlgoff said:
If you are asking about the link I posted, both I guess. I just happened to see it on the local news about how this year they were better prepared; more potties, more cops.

You see, this is at Kansas State University (a rivalry of "my" Kansas University), drinking is probably the biggest part of it IMO.

*glug glug glug* *BRAAAAAP* *wipe mouth*

Sorry, you were saying? :wink:
 
  • #11
Finnish to the finish!
 
  • #12
Here I am, all crippled up, icing my ankle when I should be dancing to St. Urho! Maybe I can wait up another hour and 10 minutes and hoist one to St. Paddy.

Both sides of my father's father's family came to Maine during the potato famine. Orrs and Baileys, and they ended up in two geographically separated homesteads, based on whether they wanted to fish or farm. My great-great grandparents were a farmer who married a fisherman's daughter from the coastal group.
 
  • #13
turbo-1 said:
Here I am, all crippled up, icing my ankle when I should be dancing to St. Urho! Maybe I can wait up another hour and 10 minutes and hoist one to St. Paddy.

Both sides of my father's father's family came to Maine during the potato famine. Orrs and Baileys, and they ended up in two geographically separated homesteads, based on whether they wanted to fish or farm. My great-great grandparents were a farmer who married a fisherman's daughter from the coastal group.

"...Instead of digging praties I'll be diggin' lumps of gold!"

:wink:

Heal fast man!
 
  • #14
OK, it's 10 minutes after, and I have cracked the seal on another Molson Golden, so cheers to St.Paddy! I have no Guiness or Jameson's, so I'll have to pretend that Canadian beer works.
 
  • #15
turbo-1 said:
OK, it's 10 minutes after, and I have cracked the seal on another Molson Golden, so cheers to St.Paddy! I have no Guiness or Jameson's, so I'll have to pretend that Canadian beer works.

"Faol saol agat agus bas in Eirinn!"
 
  • #16
Janus said:
Ode to St. Urho:

Ooksie, kooksie, kollme vee
Santia Urho isa poy for me.
He sase out ta hopper as pig as birds,
Neffer peefor haff I hurd dose words!
He really told dose pugs of kreen;
Braffest Finn I effer seen.
Some celebrate for St. Pat unt his snakes,
Putt Urho poyka got what it takes.
He got tall unt strong on feelia sour,
Unt ate kalla moyakka effery hour.
Tats why dat guy could sase dose peetles
What crew as thick as chack bine needles.
So let's give a cheer in hower best vay,
On the sixteenth of March - St. Urho's Day!

That was difficult to read but well worth it (even though I couldn't understand it all). :smile:
 
  • #17
Borg said:
That was difficult to read but well worth it (even though I couldn't understand it all). :smile:

Translation:

One, two, three, five
Saint Urho is the boy for me.
He chased out the grasshoppers that were as big as birds,
Never before have I heard those words.
He really told those bugs of green,
Bravest Finn I've ever seen.
Some celebrate for St. Pat and his snakes,
But Urho boy has got what it takes.
He got tall and strong on feelia sour (sour buttermilk)
And ate kalla moyakka (fish head stew) every hour.
That's why that guy could chase those beetles,
That grew as thick as jack pine needles.
So let's give a cheer in our best way,
On the sixteenth of March - St. Urho's Day!

The original is written as English with a strong Finnish accent.

Here's a little history on St. Urho:

http://www.brownielocks.com/urho.html

A well as being Finnish myself , I was born in Virginia, MN, and was raised in "the Range", the origin place of the St. Urho legend. (Which, incidentally, has its "own" unique dialect/accent, some of the peculiarities of which I still hold on to. )
 
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  • #18
Borg said:
(even though I couldn't understand it all). :smile:

That's typical of Finglish. :biggrin:
 
  • #19
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  • #20
jtbell said:
It's time to revive this thread. :wink:

Here's a report from a Minneapolis TV station a few days ago:

Finding Minnesota: St. Urho’s Day
That's awesome, a completely imaginary hero, instead of the usual, taking an ordinary person and making up an imaginary event (or embellishing something trivial to the point that the known event has little or nothing to do with the original).
 
  • #21
jtbell said:
It's time to revive this thread. :wink:

Here's a report from a Minneapolis TV station a few days ago:

Finding Minnesota: St. Urho’s Day

One of those towns listed as having a parade, Finlayson, is where my parents were born, and I still have quite a few relatives there (in fact, a local road bears my family name).
 

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