FINNISH SAUNA HEATS UP UNESCO HERITAGE LIST

Finnish sauna culture has been inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Heritage List, which aims to raise awareness and protect the significance of important aspects of cultural heritage worldwide, Yle news agency reported.

UNESCO cites oral traditions, performing arts, local knowledge, and traditional skills as examples of intangible cultural heritage and previous inductees include Indian yoga, Brazilian capoeira, Belgian beer culture and Neapolitan-style pizza making. The sauna tradition is the first aspect of Finnish culture to make the prestigious list.

In a press release announcing the inscription, UNESCO wrote of the importance of the sauna in Finnish culture. "Traditionally, the sauna has been considered as a sacred space – a 'church of nature'. At the heart of the experience lies löyly, the spirit or steam released by casting water onto a stack of heated stones," the UN body said in a statement.

As UNESCO notes, the sauna is "readily accessible to all" with an estimated 3.2 million saunas in Finland for a population of 5.5 million, and they come in all sizes, shapes and forms: From electric to wood-heated, and from smoke to infra-red. In addition to the reputation and honor that the inscription brings, Finland will also be responsible for protecting the sauna cultural tradition in the future.

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