Sielunmaisema
Suomalaisesta saunasta
Finland. Finnish saunas, lakes and nature are all reminiscent of unique experiences I cherish. It reminds me of the run through frost-hardened snow and back into a heated up stove while waiting for the next dip into a pond.
In between throwing water onto the stones and sitting in the heat, you pop outside to cool off by a swim and dive. When the sauna is on the waterside, swimming to cool down and running back and forth to the steam is a ritual with its own raw appeal.
I discovered freediving under the ice by the interview with Johanna Nordblad, world record holder in freediving. Since my first dives in winter months I keep wondering about the technique or process to prevent hypothermia during the dives to keep blood circulation as high as possible by adapting to cooler temperatures.
It ties in with what Finns call their ‘soul landscape’, and is both a mundane custom and part of celebrations. Similar to Balts it has a revered, holy role in folklore that roots in our traditions and culture today.
It is closely tied to the yearly cycle- sauna is a place for cleansing and tranquility. In the olden days the bride and groom had saunas before their wedding, and it is still often on the agenda on hen night or stag do. The names of past lovers are cried out and let go each time more water is thrown on the scorching stones.
It also played a starring role during a war. On the battlefront, soldiers would retreat to a sauna wherever they could when it was their turn to take a break from a front line or before seeing loved ones.
Aleksis Kivi’s novel Seven Brothers from 1870 provides one of the most famous depictions of the sauna in Finnish literature. In the novel, brothers Juhani, Tuomas, Aapo, Simeoni, Timo, Luari and Eero are having a Christmas Eve sauna. The sauna is in connection to their abode, a smoke cottage in remote Impivaara. They bathe and wrestle on the top benches, as reckless firstborn Juhani urges Eero to throw some beer on the stove. Eero dies as he’s told despite the best efforts of brother Tuomas to stop him. A burning shingle used as light falls onto the hay on the floor, and the burning hot cottage catches on fire. Barefoot and naked, the brothers have to run off into the freezing cold night.
At the time we found a can of beer in the Finnish sauna, it was certainly an artifact from European tourists.
For Finns, saunas are taking a place for political debates. Leaders have taken partners along, the Parliament sauna serving as a scene for countless agreements even across party lines. President Urho Kekkonen (1900-1986, President of Finland 1956-1982) had his sauna in Tamminiemi close to Seurasaari island in Helsinki being a stage for key decisions. He had been born in a sauna himself and considered it his home front, so it was only natural.
Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is relax!
Sauna, Liisa Talvitie & Heli Thorén, 2018
Traditionally, the right time to create a birch bundle is from Midsummer to early July. Before Midsummer, birch leaves are too soft and later on they fall off too easily. Some prefer downy birch over silver with its stronger scent, but also rosemary and blackcurrant, oak, linden and rowan branches.
In the past, the branch bundles were thought to ward off evil spirits, and essential oils in birch leaves were also believed to prevent infections and soothe muscle and joint pain. The soap-like properties of saponin in birch leaves aid in cleansing the skin and invigorates blood circulation.
I admire Finnish folklore, saunas before and after a half-marathon significantly improved recovery for me and my life partner during our last trip to Finland- it really moves on to ”drive away diseases from toes to shrubs, fingers to moss.” so does a birch drink..
Birch drink
Koivujuoma (Finnish version)
1l birch leaves
3l water
4tbsp honey
Pour boiled water over birch leaves and honey. Leave to cool at room temperature. Once cool, train the leaves from the water and store the drink in the refrigerator. Enjoy it after the sauna.
Bērzu sulas (Latvian version)
Birch sap, birch water is the sap directly tapped from birch trees in spring, usually March. It may be served both fresh and naturally fermented.
The fermentation process starts as soon as the second day after tapping. You can drink as much juice as you physically can, but it is recommended to drink a litre (just under 2 pints) a day.
Peace of mind
The sauna is a place to recharge amid the daily humdrum, forget about tight muscles and calm down.
June is all about nightless nights. In midsummer, Finns and Balts are celebrating the lightest night on the 24th of June. People are heating up their saunas by the lakeside or in the archipelago. Bundles of fresh birch branches are lined up in a row on the sauna terrace. The heat from the steam is swapped for the cool of the water and vice versa. On Midsummer night, this ritual is repeated over again starting a nightless night.
Addresses to the public saunas in Finland as well as other references and beautiful photography work has been collected in the Sauna book by Viola Minerva Virtamo, Liisa Talvitie and Heli Thorén.
Special thanks to my Pierre for capturing our trip from the first day and running through hot and cold together!