For Finns, the sauna has been and remains a special place, whose functions go beyond purely hygienic ones. In the past, it was believed that the sauna was not just a place for cleansing the body: it was recognized as having some supernatural properties that contribute to a person's spiritual rebirth. Thus, the sauna became an important component of holiday rituals.
The traditions of respectful attitude of Finns towards the sauna are passed from parents to children. An old Finnish proverb says: 'In the sauna, you must behave as in church.' People believed that a special spirit lives in the sauna, so one must not say bad words there so as not to anger it.
Special spirits also lived in the fire. And if you stoked the sauna stove correctly, they healed people. So different types of wood and herbs for stoking had different effects. Therefore, the sauna was considered the best place for a child to be born, so that the newborn, thanks to the spirits protecting him, would not be helpless against the evil forces of nature. To this day, some representatives of the older generation say they were born in the sauna.
By the way, most Finns to this day enter the sauna for the first time very early: sometimes as early as one to two weeks after birth. Parents believe that children should be accustomed to the sauna from an early age.
'Here in the village, we go to the sauna every week. It is natural for us,' says 65-year-old Pertti. 'Preparing the sauna is a traditional ritual. Chopping wood, carrying water, and lighting the stove – all of this is very pleasant!'
Pertti's cottage in the rural area of Luhta was built in the late 1940s, when a large number of Finland's inhabitants moved from the east to the western part of the country. By tradition, they built the sauna first, and only then the house and outbuildings.
'The importance of the sauna becomes obvious when you can't get into it,' says Sirrka, 63-year-old wife of Pertti. 'Usually, when we visit our daughter in Sweden, after two weeks we start feeling discomfort and a lack of something important.' When Sirrka and Pertti were children, only rural residents had their own saunas, while in the city they had to go to public saunas. 'Some of them were big, where men and women bathed separately. And in so-called "family" saunas, one had to book time in advance,' recalls Pertti about his childhood in the city of Rauma.
Today, most apartments and city houses in Finland have their own sauna. At the same time, you can find different types of saunas in the country: from modern electric ones in city apartments to old log-built ones in villages that have seen the lives of many generations.
Russian banya and Finnish sauna have more common features than differences. By the way, in the Middle Ages, Finns and Russians were almost the only inhabitants of Europe who observed the tradition of regular bathing. During that period, in many countries it was believed that washing the body with water was harmful to health, and even the nobility took a bath only twice in their lives: at birth and before marriage.
Of course, today in Russia only those who have their own house with a plot or a dacha can boast of their own banya. But practically all urban residents have been to public baths at least once in their lives, and some go there regularly.
59-year-old Natalya, who came to visit Finland, described her first experience of visiting a sauna: 'In my opinion, Russian banya and Finnish sauna are very similar. The difference is in the nuances of the steaming process. The Finnish sauna seemed to me more "gentle", you can sit in the steam room for a long time and talk.'
In addition, in public baths, there are a number of unwritten rules in the steam room, for example, not to enter when steam is being added, and try not to talk. Russian banya is more reminiscent of a wellness procedure. 'Communication among Finns takes place in the sauna itself, while in Russian banya it takes place in the dressing room,' Natalya shares her observations.
At the same time, according to Natalya, there is a widespread misconception about the Finnish sauna. She had earlier heard from acquaintances that only dry air is used in the sauna and water cannot be poured on the stones. 'I don't know where this myth about the "dry" sauna came from, but it is very popular in Russia,' says Natalya. 'I was very pleased to learn that in the Finnish sauna, as in the banya, you can use a whisk and make steam. Besides, we have another common tradition – jumping straight from the hot steam room into cold water or snow.'
What struck Natalya most in Finland was the accessibility of the sauna anywhere you are. And if for someone going to a banya is still a special event, for Finns, the sauna is simply part of daily life.