Wednesday, July 12, 2006
The Banya
For a nice introduction to the history of the bathhouse, check out:
http://www.pomegranatehouse.org/places.html
In Russian, banya (баня) can refer to any kind of steam bath, and usually refers to the Russian sauna. In the steam room, called a parilka (парилка) there is a wood stove, where the heat comes from. Beside the stove stands a bucket of water that is poured over the heated stones of the stove. Usually across the stove are wooden benches. The banya is less hot than the Finnish sauna, but what it lacks in temperature is compensated by pouring more water over the stones of the stove, creating steam.
There are lots of interesting facts about the long and venerable history of the banya (from the time of Herodotus, to the ancient Slavs, to the Christian Russians, through the Russo-Tatar war, through the Russian Empire, at: http://www.saunahistory.com/
Going to the banya in Uzbekistan is not only sometimes necessary – when water utilities in the home are not always reliable enough for bathing. It is also a social place for weekends, evenings and holidays. People often drink, play cards, gossip, and talk about the news in the banya. ¶ 8:31 AM
For a nice introduction to the history of the bathhouse, check out:
http://www.pomegranatehouse.org/places.html
In Russian, banya (баня) can refer to any kind of steam bath, and usually refers to the Russian sauna. In the steam room, called a parilka (парилка) there is a wood stove, where the heat comes from. Beside the stove stands a bucket of water that is poured over the heated stones of the stove. Usually across the stove are wooden benches. The banya is less hot than the Finnish sauna, but what it lacks in temperature is compensated by pouring more water over the stones of the stove, creating steam.
There are lots of interesting facts about the long and venerable history of the banya (from the time of Herodotus, to the ancient Slavs, to the Christian Russians, through the Russo-Tatar war, through the Russian Empire, at: http://www.saunahistory.com/
Going to the banya in Uzbekistan is not only sometimes necessary – when water utilities in the home are not always reliable enough for bathing. It is also a social place for weekends, evenings and holidays. People often drink, play cards, gossip, and talk about the news in the banya. ¶ 8:31 AM
