How often do you bathe in the sauna?
Do you prefer electric, wooden or smoke sauna?
Going in the sauna during the Christmas holidays is an age-old tradition. So much so, that it was one of the highlights of the whole season. The sauna was heated already during the night, so everyone would have the chance to bathe during daylight hours. As in this part of the world (especially a bit up north) daylight lasts for only a few hours (if it even gets up at all) And as not everyone had a sauna, some places had the whole village bathing…
For many people still, joulusauna is the real beginning of the holidays. It means that all of the work is done, now it is time to clean off all the dirt and grime, to then settle into the peace and tranquility of the Christmas holidays and end of the year.
The tradition is to be silent in the sauna, so that the mosquitoes and bugs would leave you alone the next summer… If you thought that is too hard, if you made too much noise, or Ukko fordbid, swore in the (christmas)sauna, you could get cursed with a “jouluköyry” You don’t even want to know what that could be… Let’s just say that Swedes, Russians and Canadians like to make noise in the sauna, and see what happened in Ice Hockey this year… Just saying. ;-)
Most finns throw löyly at least once a week, and nearly all houses have their own saunas. If you live in an apartment building, they most likely have a common one where you can reserve a slot, or go to a shared slot (usually on Saturdays) called lenkkisauna (jogging sauna) It is also pretty common that your summer house (kesämökki) has at least one sauna.
Back in the day, it was not uncommon for childbirth to happen in a sauna, as it is quite easy to sterilise, before and after. While the research is uncorroborated, there might be a connection between lower child mortality rates in the pre-hospital birth era and giving birth in a sauna. One of our most legendary presidents, Urho Kaleva Kekkonen, was born in a sauna, and he turned out pretty good. ;-)
There definitively is massive amounts of research confirming that regular visits to the sauna is good for you, as long as sufficient hydration and cooling down is incorporated and alcohol consumption is limited.
Lisää löylyä! Happy new year!!!
