John_F Loc: Minneapolis, MN

History has it that for decades Finland had been suffering from reoccuring raveges of grasshopper plagues that always decimated the grape crops until Urho decided to drive them into the sea. From that ancient time March 16 is set aside to honor the saibtly Urho for which an ode was written:

Ode to St Urho

Ode to Saint Urho
by Gene McCavic and Richard Mattson
Virginia, Minnesota

Ooksi kooksi coolama vee
Santia Urho is ta poy for me!
He sase out ta hoppers as pig as pirds.
Neffer peefor haff I hurd tose words!

He reely tolt tose pugs of kreen
Braffest Finn I effer seen
Some celebrate for St. Pat unt hiss nakes
Putt Urho poyka kot what it takes.

He kot tall and trong from feelia sour
Unt ate kala moyakka effery hour.
Tat's why tat kuy could sase toes peetles
What krew as thick as chack bine neetles.

So let's give a cheer in hower pest vay
On Sixteenth of March, St. Urho's Tay.

Some have argued that Friends of Finns just wanted to get a warm up head start on St Paddy's Day, especially when that day was a Sunday.

MtnMan Loc: ID

St. Urho participates in the St. Patrick day celebrations in Butte, MT.

Well, in the big drunkfest the night before in the Helsinki bar.

It is a kick!

http://mtstandard.com/news/local/butte-in-helsinki/article_7c8c9e79-2065-5b85-8ec5-e2d3946e710a.html