Finns i finsk bastu

However, Finns will not typically be very offended if their guest declines. In the winter, rolling in the snow or even swimming in a hole cut in lake ice, an avanto , is sometimes used as a substitute.

Finsk bastu - Saunek

For someone brought up in Finland, the rules are instinctive but they are difficult to put into words. The sauna tradition is so strong that whenever Finns go abroad, they relish the chance to have a good sauna: even the Finnish Church in Rotherhithe , London, has its own sauna. Finns have used the sauna to live in, eat, address matters of hygiene, and, most importantly, give birth in an almost sterile environment.

It is common for teenagers to stop going to sauna with their parents at some point. Water is thrown on the hot stones topping the kiuas , a special stove used to warm up the sauna. This supposedly has a relaxing effect on the muscles and also helps to soothe the irritation from mosquito bites.

Finsk bastustuga

In public saunas, swimsuits are banned from the hot room for health reasons: in many indoor swimming pools, chlorine is added to the water for hygiene reasons; if swimwear used in such water is brought to the hot room, the chlorine will vaporize and cause breathing problems for people with asthma or allergies. However, it is just as popular in the summer as in the winter.

Its original sense signified 'spirit, breath, soul' and this is still seen in the Uralic languages --for example, the Udmurt lul , the Komi lol , the Mansi läl 'life' , the Khanty lil and the Hungarian lélek. They are found on the shores of Finland's numerous lakes, in private apartments, corporate headquarters, at the Parliament House and even at the depth of 1, metres 4, ft in Pyhäsalmi Mine.

One reason the sauna culture has always flourished in Finland has been because of the versatility of the sauna. Depending on the size, composition, relationships, and the age structure of the group three basic patterns can emerge: Everyone can go to the sauna at the same time, men and women may take a sauna separately, or each family can go to sauna separately.

For a typical Finn the sauna is, with few exceptions, a strictly non-sexual place; nudity in the sauna is a very normal state of affairs among Finns without any connection with sexual intercourse. In private homes or summer residences, the sauna is usually warmed to honor the guest and refusal may be more difficult.

After cooling down from the first bath, one goes back into the hot room and begins the cycle again. Finnish soldiers on peacekeeping missions are famous for their saunas; even on the UNMEE mission in Eritrea , a sauna was one of the first buildings to be erected. Often after the sauna it is a custom to sit down in the dressing room or on the porch of the sauna to enjoy a sausage, along with beer or soft drinks.

In Finland's numerous summer cottages bathing might go on well into the night. In the sauna it is a faux pas to wear clothing in the hot room, although it is acceptable to sit on a small towel or pefletti , a disposable tissue designed to endure heat and humidity it can be mandatory in a public sauna, such as at a public swimming pool.

When people were moving, the first thing they did was to build a sauna. Mixed saunas with non-family members are most common with younger adults, and are quite rare for older people or on more formal occasions.

Den finländska bastun - Finnish Sauna

While cooling off it is common to wrap a towel around the body. The sauna is an important part of the national identity [9] and those who have the opportunity usually take a sauna at least once a week. When the heat begins to feel uncomfortable it is customary to jump into a lake, sea, or a swimming pool, or to have a shower.

This is especially true in the summer when there's virtually no darkness at night. Occasionally one uses a bunch of leafy, fragrant silver birch called a vihta vasta in Eastern Finland to gently beat oneself. The sauna session itself is finished off with a thorough wash. Equivalents for löyly can be found in the Finnic languages such as the Karelian löyly , the Estonian leil , the Votic leülü , the Veps l'öl' and the Livonian löul.

Saunas are an integral part of the way of life in Finland. Taking a sauna begins with having a wash usually a shower , followed by a sit in the sauna room, the room being typically warmed to 80— °C — °F. The word sauna itself is of Finnish origin. This produces great amounts of wet steam, known as löyly , increasing the moisture and the apparent temperature within the sauna. Another reason for its popularity is that in such a cold climate, the sauna allows people warmth for at least a short period of time.

The Finnish sauna Swedish : bastu is a substantial part of Finnish [2] and Estonian culture. The traditional sauna day is Saturday. Unlike many other, more densely populated places in Europe, the availability of wood needed to build and warm the sauna has never been an issue. The sauna in Finland is an old phenomenon and its roots are difficult to trace, but its earliest versions are believed to be from BC.

During the Reformation in Scandinavia the popularity of saunas expanded to other countries because the European bath houses were being destroyed. Usually one takes at least two or three cycles, lasting between 30 minutes to two hours.