Heinisirka, heinisirka, mine talta iiten! St. Urho is a fictional Finnish saint who is said to have chased away the grasshoppers to save the grape crop. St. Urho’s Day is traditionally March 16th, and there are widespread celebrations across northern Minnesota, and indeed, many places with populations of Finnish descent.

Finland, Minnesota has long celebrated St. Urho’s Day, but in 2007, the committee who had been putting on the event for years decided to retire. For a brief time, it seemed that maybe Finland, Minnesota, would no longer have the saint’s celebration. However, Friends of the Finland Community decided to step in and continue the tradition. In Finland, MN, St. Urho’s Day is usually celebrated on the Saturday closest to March 16th. There is a beauty pageant, a parade, music, face painting, food, snow sculptures, and other community festivities.

The 50th Annual St Urho’s Celebration in Finland, Minnesota, was held on March 15, 2025. The event went really, really well. It was everything the St. Urho Committee had hoped for. The Historical Society held their annual pancake breakfast on Saturday morning, and the Finland Food Chain served Mojakka after the parade. Both were a great success! There was an outdoor stage show by the Finland Co-op, with music before and after the parade. Robin Sunquiet did a great job setting up the stage, sound, and firepits, and performed in the morning. The parade was from noon-1pm and afterwards Steve Solkela and the Hauliwood Dreams performed a pretty energetic show. The weather was nice, and there were a lot of spectators throughout the day. Teresa Aho and the Northern Stars performed after the parade at the indoor stage at the Clair Nelson Center, which was packed.

In addition, both stages, performers, and other parts of the event were featured in the filming of a documentary by Isaac Hanson and William Besonen that has now been shown widely, including Finn Fest USA 2025, and is being entered in International film festivals!

The commemorative fireworks display happened on Saturday evening. It was held out at Gregg Field at the Clair Nelson Center and included a bonfire and s’mores. A lot of families and kids attended! Because of the location, the fireworks were also visible from the parking lot of the Four Seasons, where there were also many spectators.

The 51st annual St Urho’s Day is just around the corner! Be sure to save the date and come out to Finland on Saturday, March 14th, 2026! This year’s theme is: ST. URHO IN WUNDEЯLAND. So dig out your purple and green attire and join us at 8am for the Historical Society pancake breakfast, noon for the parade, and 1pm at the community center for mojakka and entertainment afterwards.

The parade will be livestreamed on the St. Urho’s Celebration in Finland, MN Facebook page, so if you’re unable to make it in person, you can still be part of the celebration!

Keep an eye out on the St. Urho’s Day Webpage and the St. Urho’s Celebration in Finland, MN on Facebook and the North Shore Journal for the schedule of events!