UNESCO recognises Finland’s sauna culture
World
December 29, 2020
HELSINKI: Finland must feel like it has won the lottery with a record-low jackpot. The country received a huge boost last week when UNESCO officially recognised the importance of its sauna culture.
Yet it was a bittersweet moment for the Nordic country - the majority of its public saunas are closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.Nevertheless, campaigners are delighted that saunas are the first Finnish tradition to be added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
“The world is full of difficult news right now, so this beautiful news was just what we needed,” said Leena Marsio, a senior advisor at the Finnish Heritage Agency. “This gives our culture appreciation and visibility.” Among the many parties involved is the association that runs Finland’s oldest, still working public sauna, Rajaportti, in the western city of Tampere.
Finland must feel like it has won the lottery with a record-low jackpot.
Yet it was a bittersweet moment for the Nordic country - the majority of its public saunas are closed due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Nevertheless, campaigners are delighted that saunas are the first Finnish tradition to be added to UNESCO s Intangible Cultural Heritage List.
“The world is full of difficult news right now, so this beautiful news was just what we needed,” said Leena Marsio, a senior advisor at the Finnish Heritage Agency. “This gives our culture appreciation and visibility.” Each sauna has its own personality
Finnish sauna enthusiasts began working on getting UNESCO recognition four years ago.