originally published in SaunaTimes
Billy is enjoying his own authentic sauna in the hills of North Carolina. He has recently become interested in the care and storage of vihad. We are pleased to share with you his research!
Even if you are new to sauna, you are probably aware of that crazy-looking practice of switching oneself with bound tree branches while in the sauna. This article deals with those bound tree branches and, before setting out, we need to settle on a name for that bundle of branches.
Naming is not as easy as it may seem. Every nation with a sauna history has a name for that bundle of tree branches. Here are some examples:
- Estonia: viht
- Finland: vihta or vasta
- Lithuania: vanta
- In English-speaking countries: bath broom or whisk
