Photo. Taking sauna make people happy and think positive. In that way saunas could also be an alternative arena for serious peace talk. © Travel Explorations.
As Norwegians were born with skies on their feet, the Brazilian with football on their feet, the Finns were born in saunas. Actually, it`s litterary ment. As I have heard there are still people in Finland who were born in the sauna. It was a sterile place where hot water was available, and it was done when the sauna was not heated. From the beginning of the Finns` life, they grow up in saunas. The function of the sauna is much more than heat and sweating.
As I have experienced through travelling each summer in Finland since 2001, the Finns use the sauna to reload their batteries, or to be more specific: keep up their sisu. Sisu is the Finns invisible power and courage that give them extra guts to perform far beyond expectations.
Just as the Irish love their pubs, the Brazilians enjoy their beaches, religious people go to churches, temples and mosques, the Finns gather in saunas. The sauna is the backbone of the Finns` society. It’s considered to be a ritual, an institution, a vital element of the Finnish way of life. It’s also a way to solve conflicts and problems, some small, but also big. In Finland there are sauna almost everyhere; private houses, summer cottages, public baths, hotels etc. It strenghten the good relations between people.
Peacetalk
In May this year (2006) Turks invited Greeks to negotiate many times, but they have continually rejected the offer. Finland is responsible for sorting out disagrees between Turkey and Greece. The conflict between these countries has been going on for 40 year now. The European Union Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn’s suggested 3 July that the Foreign minister in Finland, Erkki Tuomioja should invite Turkish and Greek representatives in Finland’s saunas to sweat out a diplomatic resolution to the Cyprus problem.
| Photo. Sauna equipment for serious peacetalk. © Travel Explorations.
This conflict can stop the Turkey’s negations for being accepted as an EU member.
The Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, said on a press conference 3 July that he could organise some meetings to prepare the political conversation in charge of UN. It remains to see how long the parts manage to sit quite in the sauna for peaceful talking.
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More than 10,000 Finnish peacekeeping soldiers have served in Cyprus in the past 40 years. One very Finnish aspect of the operation is the FinCon sauna. The first one was brought in about 30 years ago. A new, bigger sauna was brought in from Finland in 1991. When the Finns leave, the sauna is to be moved from its present place to near the camp's swimming pool.
Strong traditions
In Finnish history several national and international problems have been solved in saunas. Sitting close together bare naked, is a good way to reach its other in communication.A Finnish saying goes like this: Parhaat sopimukset syntyvät saunassa. It means that the best deals come from the sauna. It shows the sauna as a fundamental part of Finnish domestic business, but it’s also been successfully practiced internationally. It`s because the sauna clear the mind of bad thoughs, and at the same time works creatively.
It’s not just ordinary people discussing and solving national and international problems in saunas, but also politicians on high levels. There are many stories about that in Finland. These days, saunas are an integral part of the way of life in Finland. They are found everywhere: in private apartments, corporate headquarters and even in the Parliament. The sauna tradition is so strong that even Finns abroad enjoy a good sauna. It’s probably the reason for that the Finnish Church in Rotherhithe, London, has its own sauna.
Finnish soldiers on peacekeeping missions are famous for their saunas; even on the UNMEE mission in Eritrea, a sauna was one of the first buildings to be erected.
A Second World War-era Finnish military field manual states that a rest of eight hours is all that is required for a battalion to build saunas, warm them and bathe in them. Was that the reason for that the Finns defeated both the Russians and Germans intruders at the same time? Perhaps the famous Finnish sisu comes from the Finns` enjoyment in saunas? Its give the people strengths and space for finding good solutions to every kind of problems and conflicts.
Finnish business as usual
Foreign visitors in Finland often get invited into the sauna. This may even happen after business negotiations and other such events. In these occasions it may be acceptable to refuse, although it may not impress one's Finnish hosts. Such an invitation in a business setting may indicate that the negotiations have gone well and a joint business effort is anticipated.
In private homes or summer residences the sauna is usually warmed to honour the guest and refusal may be more difficult. However, Finns will usually not be offended by declining a kylpy.
Photo. A summer cottage in the northern part of Finland, near Oulu. It`s hidden deep in the forest beside a lake. In a quite atmosphere everything sounds so beautiful. The only enemy here is the mosquitos. They har pretty hard to negotiate with, but there are methods to keep them away.
Will the sauna melt the ice between Turkey and Greek? With 80 - 100 Celsius degrees the heat will prevent furious outblows. The heat will force them to talk more gently. If parts get very angry, the peacebroker should just throw some more water on the ovn to make it hotter. How long time will it take to solve the conflicts between Turkey and Greek if the representatives were put in a hot sauna? They shouldn`t be allowed to step out before everything was sorted out. Then they should be rewarding by taking a cool dip in the lake before returning to the sauna again for pleasure and so they could repeat the whole cycle many times. They will surely become best fiends after a while.
Stein Morten Lund, 31 July 2006
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