Suomi Traditions

Last week I was able to experience some Finnish traditions and they were fascinating for me being from a very different culture and so I had many questions and observations. Fortunately I had some great guides to help me through the traditions and answer my questions. Thanks go out to Ari, Linda, Simo and Pasi in particular for their patience in trying to explain to me what was going on. As a disclaimer, any misconceptions are not due to their information but to my feeble attempts to understand these experiences. So let's get to the adventures!!

Finnish Sauna's:
Last week I introduced a new tradition for the Butchers in that we had our first family night. One of our players, Marko Luoma graciously opened up his families lake place for the event. Many of our players, their wives or significant others and kids showed up for a feast of Finnish fare. I decided to add a different touch and brought some Hawaiian shoyu chicken with sticky rice and macaroni salad, which went over very well I might add. (Thanks Mitch for the recipe years ago, it has served me well.) Marko then made pancakes for everyone from Pasi's moms batter on a round pan that is used in camping settings over a wood fire. They were excellent and I had never seen anything like it.

It was a great evening and I was amazed at how many future Butchers were on the way! God has blessed the team with many moms to be. Proof that it was one of the hardest and snowiest winters on record in Finland I guess! Throughout the evening I was repeatedly asked if I was going to take a sauna, which I shrugged off with a  half-hearted  "we'll see."

I will get to my apprehension in a moment, but first I must explain that I have been repeatedly questioned on whether I have ever had a sauna before, which I always answer with a yes and then get the inevitable response "a real sauna?" They then explain that it is only a real sauna if you put water on the rocks that are heated. I assure them that I have had those types of sauna's many times which amazes them somehow.
I guess in the Pacific Northwest we must have some Finnish immigrants who established saunas where we put water on the rocks, I never knew it was so rare or such a source of national pride here. In our house here we do not have a sauna which, when people find out is met with dismay. It is almost as if we told them there is no indoor plumbing. To put it simply, saunas are serious business here and more than just a part of life they are an art form. There are whole aisles in the stores that carry sauna accessories.

Now as for my apprehensions, many years ago I have a recollection of watching the Winter Olympic Games  on TV where there was one of those travelogues during the coverage about saunas and the training methods of the Finnish athletes. Why would I remember that? Because they emphasized that the Finns participate in Saunas au natural. As Americans we have an aversion to being naked with other people. We struggle with European women going topless on beaches. I remember when I was playing and coaching in England when I discovered that the English don't have showers in locker rooms they have huge tubs where they all jump in and bath together. It was more than I could take (and the other Americans as well) and I never could hop in with all of the other players on the team in a communal tubby! I knew where some of them had been and hanging out naked with a bunch of guys is just not something we do in the good old USA.


As I was contemplating this sauna invite all night I kept thinking that no one told me to bring shorts in case of going into the sauna which heightened my apprehensions and began to affirm that this was a naked endeavor. At that point my heart was racing as in the Olympic video they showed  men and women in the sauna together. The stakes were raised with these thoughts and I began to wonder who is going into the sauna? As people slowly left my heart rate slowed a bit after realizing that all of the females were leaving and everyone wished me a great time in the sauna. With that hurdle overcome I then had to deal with the fact that I was still going into this sauna with other guys in the buff, no shorts, no towels just the democratizing factor of our skin. I tried not to let my apprehension show but I have to admit it was an uncomfortable feeling. I also have to admit that my fears were unfounded and I got over the strangeness of the experience. In fact for my first Finnish sauna it could not have been more perfect. The sauna itself was an old outbuilding on the edge of a lake powered by a wood stove with a dock going out onto the lake in front. After dumping three buckets of water on the rocks we had to retreat out to the dock where we were greeted by a quickly rising full moon on the horizon. The solitude and beauty were incredible and the chill of the air was a welcome respite to the heat of the sauna.

We went back into the sauna numerous times (note: a Finnish sauna is not a quick affair but an experience to be savored) and I felt refreshed and exhilarated. Yes, despite my apprehensions a Finnish sauna is as good as advertised especially in this lovely setting. A tradition not to be missed.

Vappua:
Last week also happened to be the national holiday Vappu which is officially labor day but is much more than that. It is celebrated on May 1st and hence also incorporates some traditional May Day flavor. In Suomi though this is also a day that celebrates graduation from higher education. Those who have graduated from high school (which is actually closer to our junior college level) wear their caps which sort of look like sailor caps and University graduates wear coveralls that symbolize their area of study and have patches that they sew on that display various large parties that they have attended.

In addition many other people wear funny hats and dress up in costumes for the occasion. Kids get mylar balloons that are everywhere. In addition there are concerts in parks and much consumption of alcohol. It is an interesting mix of sights and sounds of celebration that is difficult to describe to Americans.The night before Vappu our team had a promotion at a night club to promote the Eurobowl game. I went down to provide support to our players who were participating in the promotion and to see what the event was like. While bar scenes are very similar in every culture I had a couple of opportunities that night to have great conversations with some of our players about faith as they had questions for me which was fantastic. God not only works in strange ways but sometimes in strange places!

The next day I had the great fortune to go with friends to Helsinki and see Vappu there. It was a brisk day but very beautiful. We took the Metro in to downtown and walked around to many of the tourist areas of the city.

It was absolutely amazing to see all of the people out and about in celebration and something I will never forget. Helsinki is a wonderful city as well and I look forward to exploring it again. All in all it was a great week to celebrate Finnish traditions and I learned an amazing amount about this country through the experiences. Next week we start our season. Go Butchers!!