Sauna

During my stay in Finland, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many Finnish people, and I could listen their stories about their culture and way of living. It is nice to have the opportunity of discover a culture straight from a person who lives it.

In one of my trips across Finland, I met a guide called Centti, that told us so many interesting stories about Finland, its history and its culture. One day, while we were in a bus going to Norway, he told us why “sauna” is very important for Finnish people. He said that sauna is a place when you can be yourself, without being scared of anything, and to spend time only with your friends comfortably. A sauna is a place to speak about everything you want, to share gossips and to have honest conversations. It is a place where, while you are spending time with your family and friends, you are sweating and taking out of the body the bad things.

Furthermore, for them, “sauna” is an important place in life cycle: in most families, life starts in sauna, mothers give birth there, so it is so important. And in other families, dead takes place also there. So, for Finnish people sauna is the start point and the end of the life.

For these reasons, there are more than 3000000 saunas around Finland, although some of them are illegals. There are public saunas and most of family houses have a privet sauna too. In fact, when someone build a house, the first place is built is the sauna, and the rest of rooms of the house are built around it.

It is very curious. Now, I already understand why Finland is known for its saunas! It is amazing!