Sainturho.com photo Tim Winkler took this photo of this statue of St. Urho holding a trident upon which is an impaled grasshopper in Menahga, Minnesota in May, 2001.

HOUGHTON — March 17 is the religious feast day of the fifth-century Romano-British Christian bishop and missionary Padraig (Patrick in modern English), primary patron saint of Ireland. The exact dates of his life have not been confirmed.

St. Urho, however, is not so shrouded in mystery. St. Urho’s Day is recognized, if not celebrated, by Finnish-Americans all across the country, and in Canada.

According to the story, on the day before St. Patrick’s Day, St. Urho drove the grasshoppers out of the vineyards of Finland, saving the grapes and the jobs of vineyard workers.

“Many communities in the United States, Canada, and other parts of the world hold festivals and parades in honor of Saint Urho’s Day,” the website sainturho.com states. “Some of the better known are in Finland, MN; Finlayson, MN; Menagha, MN; Thunder Bay, ON; Butte, MT; Hood River, OR.”

The legend of St. Urho is not the product of one person, but of many, the website states. The original character is usually traced to Virginia, Minnesota, but like most good legends, there have been many voices in creating the history of St. Urho.

Virginia, Minnesota’s Ketola’s Department Store employee Richard Mattson created St. Urho in the spring of 1956, the website states.

“There were several Finnish names suggested, but Saint Ero or Saint Jussi, or even Toivo or Eino, just didn’t have the correct ring of a saintly name,” the website states. “Urho Kekkonen became president of Finland in 1956, and some believe that is where the name came from. Others say that Kekkonen was called “Saint Urho” by the citizens of Finland, and the name was attached to Mattson’s legend.”

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) looked into the legend of St. Urho in a March 16, 2014 article entitled, “Celebrating St Urho: American Finns take on St Patrick.”

According to the BBC, St. Urho’s Pub in Helsinki, Finland, is managed by Esa Mustonen, who said the facility is named for a different person.

“It turns out the bar isn’t named after the American made-up saint,” Mustonen is quoted as saying, “but former Finnish President Urho Kekkonen.”

While St. Urho’s Day is not celebrated in Finland, Mustonen is familiar with the story.

“He says despite the fake saint’s valiant efforts,” the article states, “there are still grasshoppers in Finland, and the country still doesn’t grow any grapes.”