 | Will wedding bells stop ringing? A new myth about the Nordic countries has been born, joining the ranks of the popular perception abroad that Scandinavians practice "free-love." The new myth is that the institution of marriage is disappearing. We take a closer look at love and marriage Scandinavian style in our issue 12. Nordic Reach photograph on above by Elisabeth Ohlson Wallin.
Are romantically - minded gay couples the only people getting married? Researcher Stanley Kurz raised the red flag last year, when he claimed in the influential conservative journal The Weekly Standard that marriage is slowly dying in Scandinavia. But what exactly is a marriage? A church wedding? A civil marriage? A legal declaration of partnersip? Or simply a long-term cohabitation? The man or woman in an unregistered partnership is referred to as one's "sambo" in Sweden or as an "avoliitto" in Finland. These terms do not have derogatory connotations. What makes marriage special in Scandinavia, compared to North America, is that Scandinavians frequently wait to marry until after they have had one or more children - hence the statistics about children born "out of wedlock."
People in the Nordic region regard legal marriage as a serious step, but not more serious than having a loving, long-term relationship, or parenthood. Marriage is a contract and a symbolic commitment to remain together forever; at the same time, it is an expression of love. These ideals of stability, love, and commitment haven't gone out of style, even in progressive and liberal Scandinavia.
 | | | Finns All Steamed Up Over Saunas: The Finnish people have an almost missionary zeal when it comes to saunas. After all, the word "sauna" is Finland's sole contribution to the global vocabulary. But how do you introduce this healthy and pleasant Nordic bathing ritual to people abroad who have never been to Finland, and perhaps have no immediate plan to visit? Some students at Helsinki's University of Art and Design built a wooden sauna inside an old bus, and took it on the road. When they visited neighboring Sweden, some local Finns were in such a mad rush to try it, that they stripped down in seconds.
This easygoing attitude towards nakedness surprised an American companion: "I guess I’m not ready to sit in a hot room wrapped only in a towel together with total strangers." A Finnish gentleman who popped out in his birthday suit thought she was just being silly: "You Americans have such strange ideas about the human body, it's amazing that any babies at all are born in your country."
In a nation of about 5 million people, there are an estimated 2.1 million saunas. Practically every apartment building has a shared sauna, with different days reserved for men and women. A sauna is as important as a kitchen at even the most modest summer cottage.
From issue 7, with photos by Arno de la Chapelle. Seppo Pukkila and others, capturing, e.g., the Hanaasari Institute.
For more info: www.sauna.fi
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