Helmikuu/February 2022
The most important source of support for Finnish culture in the United States
Art by Emily Tetri
Happy National Sauna Week!
Did You Know...

...that following National Sauna Week, the FFN programs will be available to view at the FFN YouTube channel?

Topics of these Zoom sessions include the history of sauna in America; a panel discussion about what makes a good, traditional sauna; health benefits of sauna; Sauna Diplomacy; and a book talk with the author and photographer of The Opposite of Cold. 

Watch FFN social media and the website for the video release dates; click here for the lineup.

FFN has also developed a sauna-centric section of its website, with information about sauna and links to resources like public saunas in the U.S., building a sauna, stories and songs, activities for kids and much more.
Greetings:

This, the shortest month of the year, has truly flown by.

We are on day five of the inaugural National Sauna Week, with additional online programming to come today and Saturday.

We've enjoyed terrific, engaged audiences for our Zoom sessions, and have produced fun videos shown throughout the week on social media.

And, we are excited to have secured a rare opportunity to view the much-lauded 2010 documentary, Steam of Life. The film is available online Friday through Sunday, February 25-27; see below for more information.

In addition, several FFN chapters have planned their own events, including mobile saunas, a wife-carrying contest and a talk about sauna at a history museum.

There is much more going on at Finlandia Foundation, from booking our new Performer of the Year Eeppi Ursin for online and in-person performances, to evaluating the applications for 2022 FFN grants and scholarships.

We appreciate your participation and ongoing support of our work to advance Finnish culture in the U.S.

Anne-Mari Paster
President
ampaster @ rcn. com
Watch Steam of Life Online February 25-27

The 2010 documentary Steam of Life offers an intimate look at the lives of Finnish men of different ages and backgrounds as they reveal themselves in the sauna.

Directors Joonas Berghäll and Mika Hotakainen show the men baring all, in body (yes, there is nudity---it is authentic sauna) and soul. They share their true, heart-tugging stories, and they share the silence of sauna.

Steam of Life appeared on PBS soon after it was released, but since then has been difficult to view in the U.S. Through special arrangement, Finlandia Foundation is making the 80-minute film---with English subtitles---available online from Friday through Sunday, February 25-27.

To view the film go to https://vimeo.com/680886529 and enter the password steamoflifeusa2022
ISMO AND MISKA GO SAUNA
Just for National Sauna Week, comedians ISMO and Miska Kajanus compare "saunas" typical of American gyms, and the traditional saunas of Finland.
Language Learning Lives!

Each year, Finlandia Foundation National offers financial assistance to students who want to learn the Finnish language in the immersive environment of Salolampi Language Village near Bemidji, Minnesota.

It's one of the many efforts of FFN to advance Finnish culture in the U.S. This and other FFN programs depend on your contributions.

Finlandia Foundation is a non-profit, independent, 501(c)(3) organization.
Your gift to FFN is tax deductible and matched dollar-for-dollar by a generous grant from the Paloheimo Foundation (up to $100,000 annually).

Thank you for your support! Kiitos!
Mark Your Calendar
Click here to visit the FFN calendar of virtual and in-person events happening across the country; click each date for info on:
February 20-26: National Sauna Week
April 30: Salolampi Language Village FFN funds requests due
Your online shopping can benefit FFN! Amazon will direct .5% of your qualifying purchases to FFN. Click: AmazonSmile