People outside of the USA: What are some interesting, cool, or fascinating aspects of your country you'd like to share with the world?

LucasWaffyWaf@lemmy.world to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 182 points –
152

You are viewing a single comment

In Finland, during winter, we enjoy making wide openings into an icy lake near the shore, and go swimming in it. Best translation I can find is ice swimming. This is usually paired with a piping hot sauna, and you alternate between the 80-100 celcius hot room and taking dips in the ice water. If no lake/similar body of water is available, rolling around naked in snow is also a valid option.

We do that in Michigan too but it's to punish people who commit crimes against fashion

and translation is not necessary, here in Russia we call such people (swimming in an ice hole in winter) simply: walrus

I remember this is also a cooking style called blanching.

or in this case, reverse blanching? -- cold first, then hot.

We call that a polar bear plunge in North America, not sure if the sauna is involved though