Friday, July 21, 2006

A horned hot dog?

Spotty, why is that man getting ready to roast the giant hot dog with horns?

Ah, grasshopper, Spot is afraid that he has a scary story to tell. That's not a hot dog, it's a grasshopper impaled on the man's trident. And it's not just any man, either. It's St. Urho, patron saint of the Finns, or some of them anyway.

According to legend, St. Urho drove the grasshoppers from ancient Finland, thereby saving the grape harvest and the jobs of the vineyard workers.

According to the site at the link above, St. Urho's day is celebrated each year on March 16th, the day before the observance of the day of a minor saint from Ireland.


The statue in the picture was erected to honor St. Urho by the good people of Menahga, Minnesota.

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