Christmas sauna is a Finnish Christmas tradition. For the ancient Finns, it was the most important event of the Christmas celebration, for which they prepared with devotion and care. The Christmas sauna has been a part of the Finnish peasant's celebration throughout the ages. The heating of the sauna was started in time, often already the night before, so that everyone could have time for the sauna during daylight hours. The evening and night were reserved for the invisible people, i.e. the late saunas of the house and above all the sauna gnome. According to some beliefs, there must be silence in the Christmas sauna. If you didn't keep quiet, you got a nasty punishment, the Christmas rope. In Christmas saunas, it is often customary to cool down by sinking into the snow project to spin and spin around.
As a child, I remember how my grandmother's beach sauna always warmed up before Christmas dinner. We walked along the snowy path with a flashlight or lantern to the old outdoor sauna. In the dressing room, you had to undress quickly to avoid getting cold. It was warm on the sauna side and the water was heating up in the cauldron. There was no electricity in Mummola, so we often sowed by candlelight. The atmosphere was just right. We cleaned each other's backs and after the sauna we put on clean clothes and combed our hair before going to the dining table. The food warms up in the baking oven during the sauna. Yes, the food tasted heavenly. After the food, we started waiting for Santa Claus. My dad always went out to look for the buck, but never found him. Pukki went to distribute the gifts while my papa wandered outside. Quite early as a child, I understood why papa and Santa Claus were never in the house at the same time.
Nowadays, we heat the outdoor sauna of our own home on Christmas Eve. There is electricity, but the atmosphere is provided by the old log wall and the wood stove. We only take saunas in the evening, when we learned that our children can't be calm until Santa Claus has brought the presents. If you like, the goat can come even before the meal. By the way, it's so exciting that my stomach hurts. The sauna must be heated already in the morning, because the thick log wall requires time to warm up. It takes a lot of firewood, but it's the highlight of the evening when you get to relax after the hustle and bustle of Christmas Eve with a gentle bath. Birch scent is added to the lye water or a splash of beer is added to the stove to give it a scent. After that, water on the hot stones and the sauna wind blowing. Sometimes we cool off in the snow or on the porch admiring the starry sky. It's strange if you can't sleep in the evening! On Christmas Day, the indoor sauna is already heated. Fortunately, there is also a wood stove. Sometimes you have a sauna both in the morning and in the evening. It's just such a nice job. The Christmas sauna cleanses both physically and mentally.
Our 5 tips for a successful Christmas sauna:
1. Decorate the sauna path with candles, they also create an atmosphere in the dressing room and sauna.
2. In the summer, dry birch leaves in a filter bag and soak them in tepid water at Christmas. You get a wonderful scent in the Christmas sauna. A splash of beer brings to mind the smell of fresh bread. As a tip, you can get ready-made sauna scent bags from our online store, if you didn't make your own.
3. You can caress your skin and hair with lovely domestic handmade soaps and shampoo bars. Also take time to exfoliate your skin and take a foot bath. Relax.
4. If you can't or don't want to use dried birch wood in the Christmas sauna, try our trash-free Relax Sauna Wood. Revitalizes surface blood circulation and relaxes muscles.
5. Don't look at the clock when you take a sauna!!!
