Kiuas

A kiuas (eng. sauna stove) is a hearth onto which stones are piled on to reserve heat and evenly warm a room. A kiuas is used in saunas and in old times in riihis (eng. grain barn) as well.

During bathing in sauna, water is thrown on the hot rocks of the kiuas; this is called "throwing löyly", which will increase the temperature and humidity in a sauna. In a riihi the löyly is not thrown, because kiuas is there to only heat up the riihi and to dry out the grain.

Löyly

When you throw water on the hot rocks of the sauna stove, it's called "throwing löyly". Löyly itself means the state in the sauna after throwing it, which is hot and moist. As the water hits the sauna stove's rocks, the water turns into steam, which will heat the sauna and increase humidity. The steam from löyly condenses on the coolest part in sauna; the person, releasing heat on the surface of the skin.

Maahinen

There are many stories about maahinens in the Finnish folklore. They are described as small human-like creatures and are often invisible in humans world. Maahinens live in an underground world, which mirrors ours. Even though they are thought to be peaceful and friendly, they could be mischievous and charm people to follow them or make them sick. It is believed if you find yourself in the maahinens world, do not accept gifts, food or drinks, or you will be charmed to stay there with them.

Riihi

A riihi (eng. grain barn, granary) is a building for drying and threshing grain. Grain dried in a riihi endured storing better and produced a better harvest.

In a riihi a kiuas was used to dry out the grain while smoke from the kiuas also killed any parasites or mold. Grain was made into sheaves which were put up on balconies to dry and were threshed either in the same space or in a separate threshing room. Due to a risk of fire, a riihi was usually placed a little further from the other buildings.

Using riihis decreased after threshers became common and nowadays are mainly used for storage.

Sauna

Even though all kinds of heat rooms around the world are called sauna, an authentic one is a traditional Finnish sauna. It is a heated room with a rock filled sauna stove on which you throw löyly.

Sauna is one of the most effective ways to clean oneself, for the high temperature, sweating and using "vihta" are proven to efficiently kill bacteria. Sauna has been used through time as a treatment for cold and other diseases. According to an old proverb, if sauna, tar and spirits do not work, disease is for death.

Most Finns go to sauna regularly; almost every home in Finland has a sauna or at least access to one, and in addition there are plenty of public saunas. No matter where a Finn goes to sauna though, they are always naked.

For centuries sauna has been important to Finns. It was used for washing oneself, giving birth and preparing deceased for burial. Sauna has been considered a sacred place where everyone is equal. Even official state visits have been spent in a sauna.

Tonttu

A tonttu is a small humanlike creature in Nordic folklore. Some perceive them as elves, others like gnomes, but most commonly they are described as little bearded men. They tend to the buildings they live in, but have fearsome tempers.

It was believed that every house had a house tonttu, and likewise every building in a homestead had one of their own. Tonttus were even in forests taking care of their dwellings. Tonttus were a part of the household and were to be kept in high spirits in order to not anger them. They have been described to harm people and property, and even to move away from their dwellings if people misbehaved. A leaving tonttu meant bad luck and a homestead impoverishing, so for example porridge, fresh bread, beer or fresh warm milk was left for the night for tonttus.

After Christianity spread to Nordic countries paganistic tonttus started to be disapproved. Church viewed tonttus as the Devil's creation and strived to eradicate any belief in them. People's belief in tonttus was however deeply rooted and so it couldn't be completely destroyed. In the mid 19th century tonttus were reformed to be associated with Christmas traditions. The formerly quick-tempered and even violent tonttus were now described as kind helpers of Father Christmas.

Vetehinen

Vetehinen is water spirit from Finnish folklore, who could bring good luck for fishing or predict the future. A wrathful Vetehinen would pollute waters and make rocks slimy and slippery. They could also lure any land living creatures into waters with them, such as people or even horses.

Vihta

Vihta, or as it is also known as vasta, is a bound bundle of gathered fresh birch twigs. In a hot sauna it is used to whip your or someone else's skin (with their consent of course).

Whipping with a vihta is called "vihtominen", and even though it sounds violent, it is pleasant and has many health benefits. Vihtominen removes dead skin, improves superficial blood circulation and increases metabolism.

Vihta is most commonly made of birch, which leaves have essential oils that alleviate muscle and joint pain while also preventing inflammation. In these days vihtas are rarely used in public saunas, for their breaking leaves make a mess. They are still common at summer cottages, especially for celebrating Midsummer.