9th March: Soulful Stories of Finnish Sauna
Welcome to hear unique and soulful stories of Finnish sauna around the fire. Sauna as our friend and fire as guide, two Finnish women Laura and Taru-Maija will share their personal memories, experiences and folklore knowledge around Finnish sauna and its meaning in different stages of their lives. Finland as a birthplace of sauna, these women will deliver the most authentic touch of what’s it like to grow up with and in sauna in the country of cold winters and warm summers.
Laura has grown deep in countryside of North Karelia in Finland, a country of vasts forests, thousands of lakes and humble people and of course sauna. Having taken to sauna when Laura was a baby, she now considers sauna as not only a place of relaxation but also a space for washing one’s body and soul. Laura thinks everyone should have a right of access to sauna everywhere.
Taru-Maija grew up in rural Finland. As all Finns, she had her first sauna as a tiny baby. Twice-weekly saunas took place in a small, red cabin in the woods by a stream, in the winter surrounded by huge drifts of snow. Taru-Maija now lives in Devon, but on all visits home, the family sauna is heated and ready for her arrival!