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Finnish couple revives ancient bridal sauna tradition in upcoming crown wedding ceremony

Tuesday 9th 2024 on 18:35 in  
Finland

In a traditional Finnish bridal ceremony, the bride lies on her stomach in a smoke sauna, protected by a towel and with a scarf over her head. The person performing the sauna ritual brushes off all the old dirt and evil spirits from her. According to tradition, the participants also enjoy sahti, a type of Finnish beer.

This ancient Finnish and Southern Ostrobothnian tradition was demonstrated in practice in Nurmo on Tuesday. The bride, Susanna Iisakintytär Uppa, and the groom, Tuomas Tuomaanpoika Jouppi, will be announced at the Törnävä church’s 160th anniversary traditional service at the end of the month. They will then be married in a Southern Ostrobothnian crown wedding in August. However, the couple in the sauna and in front of the priest will actually be actors Armi Yli-Viitala from Ylistaro and Jouko Julmala from Alavus.

The revival of the bridal sauna tradition is unique. It has not been organized in Finland’s 20th and 21st century crown wedding events. According to Jorma Aro, who is involved in organizing the crown weddings, the traditional purpose of the sauna is to cleanse the future bride of old dirt. But this time, the groom was also included.

“The dirt is, of course, also symbolic. The bride gives up everything old,” Aro explains.

Crown weddings were popular in Western Finland from the 1800s to the 1960s. Often, the multi-day celebration centers around a traditional wedding ceremony and includes other elements of local folklore: folk music, folk dances, national costumes, horse-drawn vehicles, and traditional foods and drinks such as sahti.

Couples in the crown weddings can either be genuinely engaged or amateur actors, and there can be several couples in the same crown wedding.

The purpose of the crown wedding is to raise money for the bridal couple. The philosophy of the event is embodied in two words: goodbye and welcome. First, the bride and groom say goodbye to past times and good friends. They are then welcomed into their new marital status, which, according to Aro, is depicted in the crown weddings with four polska rings: girls, boys, men, and women.

“In the rings of men and women, those already married include the bride and groom,” Aro says.

After this, the circle is closed. The bride and groom continue their life as a married couple, supported by the financial nest egg they received from the wedding.