The Finns have St. Urho's Day on March 16. It is said that a long, long time ago, a huge swarm of grasshoppers threatened the vineyards and citrus orchards of Finland, but St. Urho heroically drove them out of the country, saving its grapes and its orange, lemon and grapefruit groves. As he chased them out, he yelled, “Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen!” (grasshopper, grasshopper, go from here to hell).
Finland is an odd but respectable place.
WADR, Who the hell has heard of that? I haven’t. There you go, it is not a “national” holiday that everyone knows. And makes every kid wear green or get pinched, and every school decorates for. Never mind every news channel everywhere in the US has to show all the parades and armless dancing that is being done all over the city, etc.
Nope, you can state what you know about some obscure maybe local custom, but that isn’t the same as everyone in this country knowing what St. Patrick’s Day is, er, We Irish Are So Great Day.
I’d like to just stick to July 4, thanks.