Banya (sauna)
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[edit] History
Mikkel Aaland claims that the earliest descriptions of the banya comes from the Russian Primary Chronicle of 1113, where the work of the missionary apostle, Andreas, is described.[1]. Aaland goes on to say that in 1914, M. Hartea told the Finnish Museum Society, "In Moscow, the interest in banya is greater than here in Finland. The Russians conquered us Finns as far as interest in the sauna goes." The Western Russian banya and the Finnish sauna are mostly indistinguishable. Indeed, some researchers claim [2] that the western adoption of the word sauna rather than banya came about primarily because of the Iron Curtain in the 20th century. In North America, the use of sweat lodges by American Indians is similar in concept to the smoke saunas of Finland or the black banya and was recorded as early as 1643[3].
[edit] General Description
Banya buildings can be quite large with a number of different bathing areas[4] or simple wooden cabins like the traditional Finnish cottage saunas[5].
Russian banyas usually have three rooms: a steam room, a washing room and an entrance room. The entrance room, called a predbannik (предбанник) or pre-bath, has pegs to hang clothing upon and benches to rest on. The washing room has a hot water tap, which uses water heated by the steam room stove and a vessel or tap for cold water to mix water of a comfortable temperature for washing. The heater has three compartments: a fire box that is fed from the entrance room, the rock chamber, which has a small hole to throw the water into and a water tank at the top. The top of the water tank is usually closed to prevent vapour from infiltrating the banya. Water to be thrown on the rocks should be taken from the tank as this will make better steam than if cold water were used. If an electric heater is used, the firebox is omitted. Most Russians believe the wood-burning stove is a better banya heater.[citation needed] Water from a bucket by the stove is poured over the heated rocks in the stove. There are wooden benches across the room. People enter the steam room when the stove is hot, but before water is poured on the rocks. Getting a good sweat on before using water is preferred to using steam right away, as the sweat is thought to protect and condition the skin from the steam.
In "black banyas" (по-чёрному), the smoke escapes through a hole in the ceiling while "white" banyas (по-белому) have pipes to vent the smoke. The escaping smoke in the former style darkens the banya's interior wood, hence the name. Both styles are characterized by boulder stones, clay balls and cauldrons for the hot water as well as stone stoves with a tank to heat the water. The firewood is usually birch. A black banya is much more rudimentary and is generally considered to be less desirable than the "white" banya.
Chapkas or felt hats are used to protect the hair. Pads are used to sit on as the hot, dry wood can be very uncomfortable for bare skin. The chapka also allows the user to tolerate higher temperatures without feeling lightheaded or faint. Chapkas, padjopniks (mats) and felt mitts are commonly sold in sets in shops in Russia, along with aromatherapy scents specially made for inclusion into the steam water.
After the first good sweat is induced, it is customary to cool off in the breeze outdoors or splash around in cold water or in a lake or river. Then the banya is re-entered and small amounts of water are splashed on the rocks. If too much water is used at once, the steam will be cool with a clammy feel. A small amount of water on sufficiently hot rocks will evaporate quickly, producing a steam consisting of small vapour particles. Waving the venik causes convective heat. The second sweat is commonly the first time venik would be used, but it is not uncommon to wait until the third session. After each sweat, cooling off is repeated and patrons may take this break to drink beer, tea or other beverages, play games or relax in good company in an antechamber to the steam room.
Commercial banyas often have only a steam room or a steam room and a dry room, depending on local custom or the money the owner of the banya was willing to spend.
Going into the steam room is alternated with showers or baths of cold water, as well as standing in the breeze to cool off outside. In the parilka, people often hit themselves or others with bunches of dried branches and leaves from white birch or other suitable trees (called venik, веник) in order to improve the circulation. In summer, fresh branches are used. They have a short useful life and smell of cut grass. In winter, branches that have been dried and then moistened in hot water are used. It is important that the bushes have leaves, so they don't hurt when used. In the winter dark, people may roll in the snow with no clothes on or may run to cold lakes where holes have been cut into the ice for post-banya bathing purposes.
Another kind of banya, called a pokhodnaya banya (походная баня, hiking banya), is popular among the Russian military, mountaineers and other people who travel for extended periods in harsh environments. It consists of a steam bath set up in a tent. Hiking banyas are usually made near a riverbank where many big, round stones are available. The stones are made into a big circular pile, one to four meters in diameter and a half to one meters in height so that there is space left on the ground to make a fire inside of the pile. Firewood is burned for a few hours in this improvised stove, until the stones on the surface of the pile become so hot that water poured on them turns into steam. Around the pile, a space is tarped to form a small tent. The banya is ready when it becomes very hot inside and there is a lot of steam. Bathers can then cool off in an ice-cold mountain river.
[edit] Terminology
In Russian, banya (баня) can refer to any kind of steam bath or "Windham" and usually refers to the Russian sauna. In Bulgarian, banya (баня) usually refers to bath and bathing. In Serbian, banja (бања) is used exclusively for a mineral water spa, even so in spa resort/city names such as Vrnjačka Banja, Sokobanja.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: banya |
- Sokol tours
- Article in Russian about the advantages of the banya
- Resources for Home Sauna Kits in America
