Vihta (Western Finland) or vasta (Eastern Finland) is a collection of birch branches used to smack oneself in the back during a session in the sauna. The first step of making one is to collect a suitable number of branches from the trees. Next I divided them into two piles based on their thickness and length. When assembled, vihta should be not too thick that it cannot bent nor to thin. Traditionally vihta in Western Finland is tied together with a thin birch branche; the same as I'm using here.
This is even more traditional Finnish thing than the sauna, but it is my understanding that it has only existed from the Middle Ages onwards. Smacking with vihta/vasta helps blood to circulate when in sauna but originally I think it might also have been a symbol for the sufferings of Jesus during the time of his death.
This is even more traditional Finnish thing than the sauna, but it is my understanding that it has only existed from the Middle Ages onwards. Smacking with vihta/vasta helps blood to circulate when in sauna but originally I think it might also have been a symbol for the sufferings of Jesus during the time of his death.
