SAUNA WEEK HEATS UP FEBRUARY 20-26

PASADENA, Calif., Feb. 18, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- National Sauna Week, February 20-26, celebrates the heat-and-steam bathing method that is unique to Finland, and the Finnish word most widely known around the globe.

In the United States, sauna is a familiar amenity at hotels, spas and gyms, but recently---corresponding with the rise of COVID-19---sauna has become a popular addition to private homes, and mobile saunas are popping up across the country. At the same time, UNESCO has inscribed Finland's sauna culture on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Sauna is a centuries-old, integral part of life in Finland, where there are 3.3 million saunas for a population of 5.5 million.

The inaugural National Sauna Week, hosted by Finlandia Foundation National, spotlights different aspects of the honored tradition that 19^th- and 20^th-century immigrants brought to this country, and remains a strong presence in Finnish America. Anne-Mari Paster, president of the non-profit Finlandia Foundation, wryly says that Sauna Week is also an opportunity share lessons on the proper pronunciation of sauna (think cow-nah, not saw-nah).

Finlandia Foundation's online programs for February 20-26 include: 

• The Sauna in America: the history of sauna with Finnish log construction expert Frank W. Eld
• Sauna Wars: a panel discussion about traditional Finnish sauna vs. contemporary bathing methods using heat
• The Opposite of Cold: The Northwoods Finnish Sauna Tradition: book talk with author Michael Nordskog and photographer Aaron Hautala
• Sauna and Wellness: the health benefits of sauna with Dr. Hans Hägglund, medical doctor and adjunct professor at Uppsala University
• Sauna Diplomacy: the unusual but effective official use of the sauna at the Embassy of Finland in the U.S., including the Diplomatic Sauna Society in Washington, D.C.
• Finnish comedian ISMO compares saunas typical of American gyms with the authentic baths

Additionally, Finlandia Foundation chapters in Massachusetts, the Chicago area, Michigan and Minnesota are hosting in-person events with mobile saunas, traditional foods and a sauna-themed take on the wacky Finnish wife-carrying contest.

National Sauna Week events are detailed at:
finlandiafoundation.org/national-sauna-week/ 
facebook.com/Finlandia.Foundation.National 
instagram.com/finlandiafoundationnational/ 

About Finlandia Foundation National
Finlandia Foundation National is the leading source of support of Finnish culture in the United States. Founded in Pasadena, California in 1953, it administers grants, scholarships and programs celebrating Finnish heritage and Finnish-American culture and traditions.  For more information about the 501(c)(3) organization: FinlandiaFoundation.org

Finlandia Foundation National
FinlandiaFoundation.org

MEDIA CONTACT: Kath Usitalo, Communications Manager
[email protected]
313.530.1192

SOURCE Finlandia Foundation National