Keweenaw Sauna Week explores the Finnish tradition’s connections to the Copper Country

Sauna is synonymous with sweat, friends, and Copper Country. For much longer than the area’s Sauna Week has been around, the community has enjoyed a little time spent in the hot box. On Sunday, Hancock will kick off Sauna Week. Just before Heikinpaiva.

Yeah, we’re not celebrating sauna week, the designated week in February this year, namely because Finlandia Foundation realized that with the United States being such a diverse country people celebrating sauna in California don’t want to do it the same time as people celebrating it in the U.P., for example. So they opened it up and they’re allowing chapters to celebrate sauna week whenever they like. And for us to have a major event like Heikkiinvaiva and then three weeks later, we’re going to another event, it was a challenge. So we decided to combine the two. – Jim Kurtti

Finnish Immigrants could not carry their saunas from Finland to America, but they certainly spent time building new ones after arriving on the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Together with your fellow men, your friends, and other families get together and essentially relax, enjoy, renew, and refresh. I think there’s a lot of that that started in the early migration, but then that thread continues now to what we’re seeing in some of the more commercial soundness similar to what’s happening on the waterfront in Hancock, it’s this idea of community building and making sure that… You know, we’re holding on to traditions, but also generously sharing them with others who are interested to learn more or to partake in an amazing, amazing experience. – Lindsay Hiltunen

Today sauna businesses include manufacturers and public houses. Resorts and hotels even include the Finnish activity as an amenity for visitors. Some people in the area have even built their structures.

And so when we had the tour last year, we did very well with participation. And the most striking thing about it was the host, the owners of the five saunas that were on the tour, said it was just fun. There wasn’t a lot of pressure. It was just people passed through and they asked you questions and you told them things. And they were quite proud of their unique saunas. – Jim Kurtti

On Sunday Sauna Week will start in Hancock with the Finns and Friends, formerly the Hancock Finnish Theme Committee. Throughout the week the community can enjoy various sauna activities. As well as learn about the practice and its several connections to the Copper Country. Find more details about Sauna Week during Heikinpaiva here.