Hi everyone!
This is the first post of a series of post on the topic of Sauna. In fact, all the escerpts are taken from an essay due to a course on religious anthropology. Although I hope that the vocabulary is not complocated but rather friendly and inviting to comment.
So, here it is...
Cheers!
Sauna..
The original Sauna, found in many countries, and especially common in Finland and Estonia, was closer to what nowadays is known as “smoke sauna”. In fact, it is said that the name Sauna is a derivative of the word savuna, literally "in smoke".
Sauna and its process of sweating in order to clean and heal people’s bodies and minds have been present in the world for several years, approximately for 6 or 7 thousand years, as it is evidenced in rock paintings showing people throwing water on stones. Later on, both Greeks and Romans used hot baths to draw out bad temper and as a social way to gather and relax (Wagemakers & Moore, 1999). Some scientists even say that the so-called “Father of Medicine”, Hippocrates, recommended bath procedures to the majority of his patients. In the same way of thought, Smoley, in 1992, suggested that ‘sweating cleanses the body of toxic elements and boosts the immune system’ (Smoley, 1992). In that sense, not only is sauna useful in physical terms, but it is also associated to the agricultural habits of Northerners in which, after a journey of hard work in the cold winter, a “communal warmth, beyond just physical heat” became the basis of social organisation and feeling of community. (Kaldera, 2005)
In the past, the sauna was a separate structure from the main house; however, during the 1940s, a new trend started to spread along the “sauna regions”: it was built inside of a structure that was detached from the main house. Later on, during the 1970s, the construction tended to be built inside of the main structure.
From the outside, the usual sauna looks like a box with a chimney and has no windows, so the heat inside will not escape. There is also a little terrace with some benches to sit between the visits to the sauna. In the old times, the door was shorter than a usual door, in order to have the sauna-goers stoop to come in as a way to show reverence for the ancestors. Inside, the structure is divided into two rooms: the stove room, where people sit during the sauna, and a changing area with showers. In case there is not a shower, the sauna visitor will have a dip into the closest river or lake or, in winter time, roll onto the snow.
The main body of the sauna is the heater. Some people insist on that it is better to have two heaters: “one electrical for everyday use and the other a real wood heater for holidays and the ritual sauna of the weekends.”[1] Another important part of the physical arrangement of a sauna is the stones as the steam (or leil in Estonian language) comes from the contact of the water with them. Some sauna experts recommend to collect them ceremonially and charged them with good energy, while others suggest not to use river stones, since they tend to break with the change of temperature. Additionally, the water is recommended to be natural spring water, since rain water is considered to too flat – some actually say that the best water is rainwater -and seawater create acid rain in the sauna. Moreover, the perfect atmosphere for the sauna is a moody one in order to create a shadowy environment ideal for relaxation.
Finally, one of the questions I first had when doing my research with the sauna-club had to do with the location of the sauna. Some people say that the sauna should be built facing west in order to provide a view on the sun-set. It is also important that it is located in a peaceful setting since “relaxation after the sauna is an important part of the full sauna experience” (Joronen, 2002)
In next posts, I will share some more information on sauna and sauna culture. Topics such as the "elements of sauna", "sauna habits and its alternative uses", "what is ritual in religious anthropology", "sauna rituals", and concluding remarks will be open to comments. I hope this is as interesting to you as it is to me :)
All the best and see you around,
C.
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