Day 15: Something that I miss
Sauna is something I miss almost every day. Growing up in Finland I have been taught to think about sauna more as a necessity, not as a luxury. In a country of 5,5 million people the amount of saunas is estimated to be somewhere between 1,3 and 1,6 million, which basically means you're more likely to walk into a Finnish home with a sauna than to one without one. For example my parents have two saunas: one in their home and one in their summer place, both of which my dad built from scratch, because he's cool like that. Besides Finnish homes and summer places you can find saunas in office buildings, work places and in some of the most unexpected locations, such as Burger King or the ice hockey stadium in Helsinki.
In the past sauna was the place where babies were born, including my grandmother in 1923. It was dictated by practicality: sauna was warm, easy to sterilize, hot water was available and you could clean up the baby, mother and the rest easily. Sauna was also the place where people were washed and dressed after they passed away. In other words sauna was the circle of life. In this light it's no wonder it holds such a holy trophy in the Finnish culture.
Sauna has at least 3000-year-long tradition in the Finnish culture and not so surprisingly in the light of this sauna is one of the only Finnish words to be adopted to other languages (besides the Swedes, who probably couldn't use such a peasant word and decided to call it bastu instead). This said, it's also utterly mispronounced in English. The English pronounce it "soona" instead, but it might be too late to correct this train.
When my husband and I decided we were going to stay in the Netherlands, I told him if I'm going to give up my country for him, I need my own sauna. I'm still waiting for this promise to be fulfilled though... but that is absolutely the one thing I would've brought with me in a suitcase if it only fit there. For me sauna is the ultimate place of relaxation and downtime. It's the place where the outside world, stress and the rest is easy to shut off and just enjoy the warmth piercing through the muscles. Sauna is what I wish I had after a busy, rainy day, and it's the thing I wish I had during a sunny summers' day. There's something essential of a warm body of air hugging you and you are holding the key when you want that to let go (by stepping outside into the refreshing shower, or if you're lucky, jumping into a lake).
It's funny how living away from this necessity for the past ten years have made me think sauna in a different light. I now understand why it's seen as a luxury to many. Maybe I should be one of those Finns that will turn half a bedroom into a sauna or order a proper wooden sauna to fill the tiny space we call backyard. That might be the only way of having my cake and eating it too.
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| Sauna car we saw in Turku, Finland, in the summer of 2011. |
Sauna has at least 3000-year-long tradition in the Finnish culture and not so surprisingly in the light of this sauna is one of the only Finnish words to be adopted to other languages (besides the Swedes, who probably couldn't use such a peasant word and decided to call it bastu instead). This said, it's also utterly mispronounced in English. The English pronounce it "soona" instead, but it might be too late to correct this train.
When my husband and I decided we were going to stay in the Netherlands, I told him if I'm going to give up my country for him, I need my own sauna. I'm still waiting for this promise to be fulfilled though... but that is absolutely the one thing I would've brought with me in a suitcase if it only fit there. For me sauna is the ultimate place of relaxation and downtime. It's the place where the outside world, stress and the rest is easy to shut off and just enjoy the warmth piercing through the muscles. Sauna is what I wish I had after a busy, rainy day, and it's the thing I wish I had during a sunny summers' day. There's something essential of a warm body of air hugging you and you are holding the key when you want that to let go (by stepping outside into the refreshing shower, or if you're lucky, jumping into a lake).
It's funny how living away from this necessity for the past ten years have made me think sauna in a different light. I now understand why it's seen as a luxury to many. Maybe I should be one of those Finns that will turn half a bedroom into a sauna or order a proper wooden sauna to fill the tiny space we call backyard. That might be the only way of having my cake and eating it too.
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| One of the most relaxing things I know is to heat up your own sauna. |
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