Banya
Banja ( Russian. Баня) refers to a Russian steam bath similar to a Finnish sauna and a traditional Russian bathhouse . In other Slavic languages it has similar meanings and is e.g. B. Part of the name of health resorts , similar to the German bath .
Traditionally in Russia the banya is heated with a wood stove. The Russian banya is as hot as the Finnish sauna. The temperatures in a Russian banya can also be well over 100 ° C. The classic Finnish sauna normally reaches temperatures of approx. 80 to 95 ° C, but here you work much more with infusions. Infusions are also common in Russian banya and have a long tradition. Hot water or ice, usually mixed with essential oils, is poured onto the hot stones of the sauna heater. This achieves a high level of humidity, which means that the heat can work even more effectively.
Just like the sauna, the banya is also made of wood, but sometimes has a “first floor” inside. Ideally, the banya consists of three rooms: the sweat / steam room, a wash room and a relaxation room.
Procedure of a banya visit
In the washroom, you rinse yourself with cold and warm water, which then runs off through gaps between the floorboards. In the authentic banya, the cold water is available in buckets and can be warmed up with hot water that is drawn from a kettle operated by the banya stove. The banya oven is mostly loaded from the washroom.
Sometimes the relaxation room also coincides with the washroom. Classic equipment here is a simple table with chairs. Here you pause between the courses and enjoy snacks and drink tea or beer.
As in the Finnish sauna, tormenting is also common in the banya, i.e. knocking off the body with bundles of soaked birch twigs - Wenik in Russian - which is pleasantly refreshing and stimulates blood circulation. When pooing, a pleasant smell of birch is also created. The water from the bucket, in which the birch branches were soaked beforehand, also results in an excellent birch infusion, the "Wenik infusion".
In the summer we often take fresh branches for Weniks; in winter , however, birch twigs are used, which have been dried in summer and soaked again with hot water before use. It is important that there are leaves on the branches, otherwise knocking them off is as painful as with a birch rod .
Sometimes drinks are also added to the infusion water, for example kvass or beer . When brewed, beer creates a strong scent reminiscent of bread.
In Russia there is a strict gender separation, either there are separate rooms for men or women, or there are different visiting hours.
A visit to a banya improves blood circulation in the skin and counteracts muscle tension . People with inflammation , with acute infectious diseases , with cardiovascular diseases , with venous thromboses or varicose veins are advised not to visit a banya, hammam , sauna or steam bath .
The banya has an important role in maintaining social contacts; It is not uncommon for business people to meet in the banya and make business decisions there. Outside of Russia, one also often meets Russians in the public sauna facilities, where they maintain contact with one another in the diaspora.
literature
- Russian steam baths have proven their worth as therapeutic remedies: together with instructions for edification and internal arrangement; illustrated by three copper plates by GF Pochhammer. With brief instructions on how to use the Russian steam baths by JG Schmidt . Nauck, Berlin 1824 digitized
See also
- Banya Bashi Mosque
- Irony of Fate (film)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ On the trail of the real sauna experience, thisisFINLAND
- ↑ Quaesten , Das Saunalexikon, saunafans.de