Haris is now in Finland!!!!!!! :D In fact, he was in the SAUNA!!
Photo by Essi. So it’s the appropriate time for me to go and dig out sauna postcards I received from Finland.. and again, the fact that they do publish POSTCARDS about sauna… *happy sigh*
From Pirppt. Here you get the basic idea about Finnish sauna- the bench inside, the cottage, the kibu and kauha (which you use to throw water on the sauna heater so it produces steam – and thanks to GTKY people who eagerly helped me with these words :P), and a bunch of birch leaves called vihta or vasta. And after well heated and sweating in the sauna, the Finns would jump straight into a lake to cool down! Pirppt says all new houses and flats in Finland have saunas. Usually people go to sauna twice a week, but she goes there everyday! And she calls herself saunaholic! :D
From Sintukka. Here on the card it says, the SAUNA is an ancient Finnish institution. In olden times the Finns also used the sauna as a dwelling house: in that they were born, in that they lived and died. The sauna tempereature is 80-100 degree celcius. Why is it said so? Because Finnish women also gave birth in the sauna!
From Davynn. Yes it seems sauna and lakes are rather related :) First to sauna and swim in the lake! I also once heard from someone on the forum, they go to sauna to sweat themselves and shortly later jump off to the snow!
From Emmi. Trust me, I did not particularly choose this card to be sent to me, if that’s what you might think :P Emmi just said she was sending a sauna card.. but of course I was amazed to get more than sauna.. HAHAHA. And before this I only knew in Japan who people may share a bathroom/bath place somewhere being naked each other. I mean, it’s nothing in the culture in my place here if you must know. So these cards are better sent in an envelope :P
From Monna. Another card that made me gasp, but at the same time I was glad it taught me another quirky part of Finnish culture. Maybe they don’t mind being in the sauna together, well, both are female afterall. But the fact that they let them use this picture to publish postcards???? :o Though I don’t mind receiving these cards (which I rather see it in a cultural way :P) but I just had to photoshop the picture a bit since I dont know from which part of culture people who visit this blog may come from :P as I don’t want people have a wrong idea about this blog okay.
From Elina. HAHA some happy girls in the sauna. And yes, the vihta or birch leaves are the thing you use to beat your body inside the sauna, I don’t know how it technically functions, but it can make your body fresh and improve your blood circulation.
From Monna. This is a special sauna – Barrel sauna. Mostly they were built in the 1960′s and 70′s and they are light and easy to move if necessary. First you put firewood to oven. There’s also a boiler to warm water. If you want it hotter and more steam, just throw cold water onto the rocks on the top of the heater. And it will make a sound SSSHHHH… and give a biting heat! And you’ll find yourself sweating :) After sweating it’s great to swim in the lake or in the winter just go to roll in the snow :D Afterwards you’ll feel so relaxed. Sauna does sound exciting and a big pleasure!!
Oh I just have to show this comic strip of Viivi and Wagner that Emmi included with the sauna card!
Wagner : “Beer on sauna heater!”
Viivi : “It was no sense at all to do that!”
Wagner : “Oh! It came really strong aromas”
Viivi : “It will come really big cleaning bill from the apartment company.”
Wagner : “Well then we pay!
