The Sauna Elf

Sauna has always been an important part of
Finnish culture and character - and ever since anyone can remember it has
been meaningful tradition for most holidays. Our ancestors kept sauna as a holy place,
because the symbolism of sauna was life. Life begun in sauna and life ended at sauna. People usually went there to give birth and
when someone passed away, they would be put to sauna and people would wash up the deceased.

Nowadays it is more for cleansing, relaxing - and a way to detach yourself from the everyday life. It is the symbolism of holidays
an initiation to celebration. Usually the sauna had to be heated up very
early morning of the Christmas eve, - because old saunas (like smoke saunas)
needed long time to heat up. And it was also very important for the folk
to bathe before the dusk.

They had to bathe before the sun went down
and darkness took over, because during the dark - the elf and the deceased spirits would bathe. Old folk believed that every household and
even saunas had their own protector elves that lived inside the sauna stove or in some
small nooks of the house. The humanlike elf would prevent the sauna
from burning down or even helped people get great steams. But only if you respected the elfs wishes.

You were not allowed to scream, whistle or
even talk loudly in sauna. If you were too loud, the sauna elf would
get mad and move out. When people were finished with bathing, they
would throw lots of water to the stove. Then they would light a candle and leave the
door open as they left because that was the way to welcome the elves to bathe.

Their time to bathe was during dark hours. As the living folk of the household would
finish their Christmas dinner, they would leave food out for the elf. Usually the households had different elves
living in different buildings and for example sauna and house elves were probably not the
same. But the believes of these protectors would
prevent bad luck and deaths..