Day one in Estonia our ministry host shared with us one of the traditions in Estonia that men do. I was instantly hooked and curious to find out what exactly this could be about.
It all starts with a sauna and a frozen lake!
First the preparation….cutting a hole in the frozen pond so we could jump in. With an ax, saw, flashlight, and wooden poles the size of a small tree in hand we took out to start. Making the initial hole to test the depth of the pond turned out to be relatively easy and it was over part of the pond that was deep enough to jump in but still able to stand up with your head above water. Roughly 5 feet in depth.
Since we broke the ice to check the depth, water came on the surface of the pond. In order to cut roughly a 3 feet by 4 feet hole; it was a wet cold job. We started after dark and the water splashing up after every swing of the ax made for freezing work. Quickly our hands were freezing and clothing was getting soaked. We kept asking our host, “Is there a better way to do this?” His reply being, “I don’t think so. I am pretty sure this is how my sons used to do it. Time to man up.” Man up we did and the work continued. Once we got close to breaking through, we would use the saw to cut through the remaining ice. The wooden poles the size of small trees became useful to get leverage on our ice block to get it free.
About 45 minutes later, we were victorious! Our ice block was not only 3 feet by 4 feet hole but the ice was a FOOT thick! I had no idea how thick the ice really was until we attempted to get the ice block out of the hole. Several failed attempts of trying to flip it out we decided to push it under the ice and out of the way.
Now the fun was ready to begin. The sauna!
Saunas are very popular here in Estonia and being in an authentic one stoked by a wood fire was awesome. Stripped down and started to soak in the heat. Every time water was poured on the rocks you could feel the heat penetrate your skin. Heating up your bones and made your insides feel like they were boiling. Our host recommended blowing on our arms after the water was poured on the rocks….needless to say that was a terrible idea! I felt like I was breathing fire on my forearms!
The mad dash for the hole in the lake began! Running as fast as you could without slipping on the ice. Once at the hole, it was time to jump in! It was definitely more mind over matter because the cold water felt amazing! It was a weird sensation because once you were fully submerged it felt so freeing/relaxing but your mind kept telling you “hey, you are in a frozen pond, you are going to drown, get out now.” Thoughts like that really mess up your breathing and about 5 seconds later you pop out.
Once out of the pond the real painful part started. The cold air blowing over your wet body was bone chilling as you stood shivering waiting for the others to jump in and out. Your feet began to freeze like ice blocks and became numb instantly. I was afraid my feet were going to freeze to the ice so I kept moving my feet. After everyone jumped in, the dash back to the sauna began.
Ah the heat was welcomed relief! After we got really hot again….we repeated! Yes, just to make sure we got the official “Estonian Man” card we back for round 2! The second time felt better than the first dunk in the pond and was able to better control my thoughts to stay under longer. Felt so good!
Afterwards felt simply amazing! My body was so relaxed and rejuvenated; it was different than anything I have felt before. If you ever get the opportunity to get in a sauna then jump into cold water, DO IT! You will not regret it, and you can thank me later haha.
