The Sauna

Far from being a mere cliché, it is a sacred institution in Finland. According to an old Finnish saying, one must behave in the sauna as one would in church. To quote the Finnish Sauna Society:

At its most primitive, the sauna was probably a pit dug into a slope, with a heap of heated stones in one corner. The dugout developed into a four-cornered log hut with an earth floor and a chimneyless stove; this served as both a primitive dwelling and a bath. There was smoke in the room when the stove was being heated, but afterwards it vanished, leaving behind a smoky smell. The smoke sauna, with some modern adaptations, is nowadays becoming quite popular again. The next step in the story of the sauna was the addition of a chimney to the stove, which was then heated just once each time; still later came a newer type of stove which could be kept hot by continuous heating.

Today the Finnish word sauna may refer to a building or just a room with wooden walls, floor and ceiling. There is a stove, called kiuas, which is heated with wood, electricity, oil or gas. The top of the stove is covered with a thick layer of natural stones, which radiate the heat to the room.

Humidity is regulated by small doses of water ladled repeatedly onto the kiuas stones. The resulting vapour, rising from the stones, is called löyly. The temperature varies between 70 and 100 °C, depending on the size of the room. Bathers warming up in the hot room help perspiration by using whisks made of tender birch twigs (vihta or vasta). Warming-up is followed by washing and cooling off; arrangements for cooling off in the open air are welcomed.

In due course a dressing room and a washing room were added to the original one-roomed sauna. Sauna suites, frequently used by business people for entertaining guests, may include other additions such as a sitting room with a fireplace. A small private summer sauna often consists only of the hot room and the dressing room. In any case, modesty and simplicity are traditionally characteristic of the Finnish sauna; ostentatious decoration of the facilities is out of the question. (Read more)

May 26, 1896: Coronation of Nicholas II

For an account of the fateful day by Finland's Marshal Mannerheim, who served in the Chevalier Guards at the Tsar's coronation, click HERE.

The Passing of Leonida Georgievna (1914-2010)

Russia's Grand Duchess Leonida, mother of imperial claimant Grand Duchess Maria Vladimirovna, passed away yesterday. May she rest in peace. More at these links:

~Royal World
~Et Lux In Tenebris Lucet!
~The Mad Monarchist

Pentecost

The Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles.

 Archbishop's Novgorod School, Russia (15th-16th century)

A Stir in Sweden

By choosing to be given away by her father, King Carl XVI Gustav, at her upcoming wedding to Mr. Daniel Westling, Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria has scandalized her country's church leaders, who condemn the practice as "sexist." (Via Theodore Harvey). Apparently, the Swedish custom is for bride and groom to walk down the aisle together. This is supposed to emphasize gender equality and the fact that the parties are entering into the marriage of their own free will, all seen as very important in modern, liberal Swedish society. But, for goodness' sake, live and let live! Why should these eager guardians of freedom begrudge their future Queen the freedom to choose an alternate custom?

(Image source)

What is Sisu?

HERE are some quotes on the indefinable Finnish trait.

Sisu has been called by The New York Times "the word that explains Finland", and the Finns' "favorite word" - "the most wonderful of all their words." During the famous Winter War of 1939-1940, the Finnish perseverance in the face of the invasion by the Soviet Union popularized this word in English for a generation.In what might have been the first use of sisu in the English language, on January 8, 1940, Time Magazine reported:

The Finns have something they call sisu. It is a compound of bravado and bravery, of ferocity and tenacity, of the ability to keep fighting after most people would have quit, and to fight with the will to win. The Finns translate sisu as "the Finnish spirit," but it is a much more gutful word than that. Last week the Finns gave the world a good example of sisu by carrying the war into Russian territory on one front while on another they withstood merciless attacks by a reinforced Russian Army. In the wilderness that forms most of the Russo-Finnish frontier between Lake Laatokka and the Arctic Ocean, the Finns definitely gained the upper hand.

—Time Magazine, January 8, 1940

Singled out for kudos for this attribute was "Finland's wiry old peasant President, Kyosti Kallio — 73 years old and full of sisu (courage) — last week thought up a new scheme to get supplies for his country."It was also used to describe the Finnish stubbornness in sticking to its loose alliance from 1940 to 1943 with The Third Reich:

Finnish sisu — meaning a peculiarly Finnish brand of doggedness, capable of facing down death itself — was at work against the Allies. ... The Finns are not happy. But sisu enables them to say: "We have nothing worse than death to fear."

—Time Magazine, May 10, 1943.

During the 1952 Summer Olympics, sisu was further described in the context of the continuing Cold War looming over the Finnish capital city of Helsinki:

HELSINKI, host to the Olympic Games, a city of 400,000, was abustle. ... The Finns are not stupidly hiding their eyes from their future, but they are determined not to fall into another fight with a powerful and predatory next-door neighbor 66 times their size (in area, Finland is the sixth largest country in Europe; in population it is the third smallest). Under popular, 81-year-old President Juho Kusti Paasikivi and able, unpopular Agrarian Premier Urho Kekkonen, the Finns have learned to walk the nerve-racking path of independence like tight-rope walkers.

—Time Magazine, July 21, 1952

Well into the 1960s, "sisu" was used to describe the Finnish resistance to the invasion of 20 to 30 years prior and its continuing discontents. In 1960, a notable reviewer of Mortlake wrote:

"HAVE you heard of Finnish sisu?" asks a character in "Mortlake" -- and it turns out that sisu is a sort of stamina or staying-power which the Finns have had to develop as a result of living next door to the Russians.

—Nigel Dennis, New York Times Book Review

"She Walks in Beauty"

In a stirring article on the sorrows of Leopold III (1901-1983), King of the Belgians, Michael Geelan, to describe his beloved Swedish-born queen, Astrid, cites the opening lines of Lord Byron's "She Walks in Beauty" (1814). Intrigued, I looked up the quote and decided the whole poem suited Astrid perfectly:

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that's best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes :
Thus mellow'd to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impaired the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o'er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!

~The Complete Works of Lord Byron, 1841, p. 254

More on Queen Astrid HERE, HERE and HERE.

The Faith of Empress Alexandra

What did she actually believe? Janet Ashton explores the issue.

Russia and the Romanovs

An interesting talk with H. I. H. Maria Vladimirovna. For the record, Nicholas II and his family were officially rehabilitated, after this interview took place, by the Russian supreme court in 2008.

Johan Ludvig Runeberg

Finland's famed National Romantic poet. It seems a pity that his personal life did not measure up to the lofty ideals set forth in his literary work. To quote Petri Liukkonen:

Johan Ludvig Runeberg was born into a relatively poor Swedish-speaking family in Jakobstad (Pietarsaari), on the shores of the Gulf of Bothnia. His father, Lorenz Ulrik Runeberg, was a ship's captain, who had briefly studied theology. Anna Maria (Malm) Runeberg, the poet's mother, came from a family of merchants. Among Runeberg's famous relatives was Jacob Tengström, Archbishop of Turku. At the age of eight, Runeberg was sent to Oleåborg (Oulu), where he was taken care of by his uncle. He entered the school there, and after his uncle died, he studied at the Vaasa Gramar School, and at the University of Åbo (Turku). In the 1820s he became friends with J.L. Snellman and Zachris Topelius, who gained later fame with historical novels. Runeberg's early erotic poems were inspired by Frederika or "Frigga" Juvelius, a pastor's daughter. In Vasa (Vaasa) Runeberg had started to read Swedish poets, such as Bellman, and in Turku he started to contribute to newspapers.

When his economic situation became difficult, Runeberg took a job as a personal tutor to a family, who lived in Saarijärvi in central Finland. Making acquaintance with the ordinary Finnish-speaking people affected him deeply. During this period he heard tales of the Russo-Swedish war of 1808-09. The war led to the cession of Finland from Sweden to Russia, and Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy. Runeberg started to develop his idealized picture of the rural population. In this he was influenced by classical antiquity, Greek literature, and German idealism. Later the war formed the background for his ideal of patriotism.

In 1827 Runeberg received his Master of Arts degree. When the university moved its activity to Helsinki after the fire of Turku, Runeberg continued his studies in Helsinki and in 1830 he became a lecturer in Rhetoric. After reading Serbian folksong in a German translation, he was so impressed that he published a translation of them in Swedish. Runeberg's first collection of poems, DIKTER (1830), reflected his love of Finland's landscape and the heroic inhabitants of the backwoods. One of its most famous poems, 'Bonde Paavo' ('Saarijärven Paavo'), was about a peasant, who repeatedly loses his harvest to the frost, never complaining of his lot. When he has nothing else to eat, he nibbles hard bread, pettu, made from pine bark. The figure of Paavo has become a proverbial representantive of the Finns, and an enduring personification of the concept "sisu" (endurance, stick-with-it-ness). Later Runeberg's vision has been criticized patriarchal – honest, hard-working common people are not supposed to rebel against their fate, or against God, but to understand instinctively their proper position, shown by the poet. This picture of the people, adopted by the educated elite, was shattered eventually during the Civil War (1917-18). However, in a prosaic description "A Few Words about the Nature, Native Character and Way of Life in the Parish of Saarijärvi", Runeberg did not hide the poverty and misery of the inland areas.

Runeberg was secretly engaged to Maria Juliana Nygren, but he married in 1831 Fredrika Charlotta Tengström; they had eight children (see Frederika Runeberg below). Their son Walter Runeberg (1838-1920) gained fame as a sculptor and his statue of his father was unveiled in Helsinki in 1885. Between the years 1831 and 1836 Runeberg worked as a teacher at the Helsingfors privatlyceum (private secondary school) With his wife Frederika Runeberg he contributed to Helsingfors Morgonblad. To earn extra money the Runebergs took lodgers – Zachris Topelius was one of them. In his diary Topelius wrote that Frederika was hard of hearing, she was shy and silent, and had poor health. Their first child, Anna, died in 1833.

Frederika Runeberg (1807-1879) was a pioneer of historical novel in Finland, whose work show the influence of Walter Scott. She was also a talented drawer, and while she was studying at the University of Turku, she earned money by selling her paintings and drawings. As a writer Frederika started her career about in the same years as J.L. Runeberg finished his last great works. Frederika Runeberg's Fru Catharina Boije and hennes döttrar (1858) could be called Finland's first historical novel. The story was set during the Great Wrath of 1710-21. Sigrid Liljeholm (1862) contrasted the domestic world of women with the world of men. The female protagonist, Sigrid, is a fictional character, but the ruthless governor of all Finland, Klaus Fleming, is a real historical person. Frederika Runeberg tries to prove, that Fleming was not so black as he was painted. The book got bad press from J.V. Snellman, her husband's friend, and Frederika decided to publish no more fiction. However, she wrote for the magazines Litteraturblad, Finsk Tidskrift (1877-79), Helsingfors Dagblad, Litteraturbladet, Svenska Familj-Journalen (1872-75, 1877, 1882), Tidskrift fö Hemmet (1860-69). - Selected works: Fru Catharina Boije och hennes döttrar (1858, Rouva Catharina Boije ja hänen tyttärensä); Teckningar och drömmar (1861, Kuvauksia ja unelmia); Sigrid Liljeholm, (1862, suom.); Anteckningar om Runeberg: Mina pennas saga (1946, Kynäni tarina). Muistiinpanoja Runebergista; Brev till sonen Walter 1861-1879, 1971. - For further reading: Den frivilligt ödmjuka kvinnan: en bok om Fredrika Runebergs verklighet och diktning by Åsa Stenwall (1979).

Runeberg's second collection of poems appeared in 1833. His breakthrough work was the short epic HANNA (1836), an example of bourgeois romanticism written in the spirit of J.H. Voss – nowadays a nearly forgotten work. When Runeberg's hopes to be appointed professor of Latin and Greek at the university were crushed, he took in 1837 a post as a lecturer in classics at Porvoo Gymnasium (the college of Borgå). Next year he founded the Borgå Tidning and worked as its editor. His liberal views and attacks on pietistic narrow-mindedness provoked one of the most important debates about religion of the period. Porvoo, a small town, found also a good source of gossip in Runeberg's relationship with the beautiful daughter of Hauho's head pastor, Emilie Björkstén, who was nearly 20 years younger. Their passionate correspondence started in the 1840s. Emilie and Frederika Runeberg also had a lively correspondence and she was a regular guest at the poet's house. "What can I do, if I have got a man, who feels attraction towards young women," complained Frederika once. But she also admitted later: "My husband was a fierce lover".

As a teacher Runeberg was rigid, he did not spare the rod. Runeberg's disciplinary actions with the students strained his relationship with some of the parents. In 1839 Runeberg received in Sweden the Academy's highest award for poetry. For his literary merits he was granted a state pension. As an answer to growing interest in his work in Russia, Runeberg wrote NADESCHDA (1841), about two brothers, one good, the other bad, who love the same girl. In 1847 Runeberg was appointed rector of the college. He moved with his family in 1852 to a new home, which was later transformed into a museum and opened to the public in 1882.

In the 1850s Runeberg wrote a several hymns – he also was a member of the Cathedral Chapter of the Diocese of Porvoo, and a bishopric was not an impossible idea for him. During a hunting trip in 1863 – he was an enthusiastic fisher and hunter – Runeberg suffered a stroke and was unable to write for the last 13 years of his life. Frederika left the house only once during in period, when her husband needed her. She sat by his bed 12 hours a day, and read him books. Runeberg died on May 6, 1877, in Borgå. The poet's death was the occasion for national mourning.

Among Runeberg's best-known works are ELGSKYTTARNE (1832, The Elk Hunters), composed in Homeric Hexameters, KUNG FJALAR (1844), in which the setting was taken from old Norse sagas and Macpherson's Ossian, and the greatest Finnish classical epic poem FÄNRIK STÅLS SÄGNER (1848-1860, The Songs of Ensign Stål; The Tales of Ensign Stål), about Finland's war of 1808-09. Although the war ended in defeat, Runeberg transformed it into a patriotic praise of its known and unknown figures. However, Runeberg himself never served in any army. The different characters soldiers, from generals like von Döbeln to ordinary infantrymen, are treated empathetically with emphasis on personal traits. All of them are eager to die in the name of the fatherland: "And if I am one, both in joy and woe, / Of the valiant soldiery, / Then say when to battle or death we go! / God grant it tomorrow be!" Noteworthily, the Russians are treated in the poem with respect, and the censor passed the collection for publication after only a couple of small revisions.

Perhaps the most memorable Finnish character is Sven Dufva, not too bright but a brave hero. When the others retreat, Dufva doesn't, and dies in defending a bridge. Väinä Linna (1920-1992) has later criticized in his essay 'Runeberg ja suomalainen kansallismentaliteetti' (1980) the poet's cult of sacrifice and death. After Paavo Cajander (1846-1913) translated the work into Finnish it was used as compulsory reading in schools...

The first poem in Fänrik Ståls Sägner, 'Vårt land', set to music by Fr. Pacius, became the Finnish national anthem ('Maamme', Our Land). It was enthusiastically sung at the student's traditional spring festival on May 13, 1848, after the official speech and in between heavy drinking, In the following decades the patriotic heroism of Fänrik Ståls Sägner colored Finnish attitudes to Russia. However, Runeberg himself had been loyal to the government. By the end of the century, the relatively harmonious political situation in autonomous Finland as part of the Russian Empire had began to shake, and Runeberg's poems were adopted in political debate by promoters of the independence movement. Runeberg's work also served as a cultural weapon in the Civil War (1917-18), and again in the Second World War. A line from The Tales of Ensign Stål, "Let not one devil cross the bridge", served a slogan directed against the Russians.

Several of Runeberg's poems have been set to music by such composers as Karl Collan, Axel Ingelius, and Jean Sibelius. Albert Edelfelt's illustrations for The Tales have done much to shape the commonly accepted visual image of the heroes of the Russo-Swedish war. Among the famous historical paintings inspired by Runeberg's poems is The Wounded Soldier (1880) by Helen Schjerfbeck. 'Runeberg Day' is celebrated in Finland on the 5th of February. A delicacy connected to the festival is called 'a Runeberg tart'. It is a small, cylindrical sponge cake decorated with a spoonful of jam. The cake was introduced as early as the 1840s.

Princess Cecilia of Sweden: The "Black Sheep" of the Vasas

One of the most controversial Swedish princesses was the beautiful and scandalous Cecilia (1540-1627), daughter of King Gustav I, the initiator of the Protestant Reformation in Sweden, and his second wife, the Catholic, long-suffering Queen Margareta Leijonhufvud. As such, Cecilia was the half-sister of the doomed Erik XIV, the full sister of the dubious John III and the usurping Charles IX, and the aunt of the Protestant hero of the Thirty Years' War, Gustavus Adolphus. As a child, Cecilia is reported to have been fragile, but she matured into a spirited and robust beauty. One of her tutors wrote a poem, in praise of her charms, loosely translated: "Her brow is white as snow, her eyes shine like the sun, her lips are fairer than roses, her locks more beautiful than gold."

Unfortunately, this beauty did not bode well for the future. Cecilia became involved in a series of scandals, bringing a great deal of embarrassment to the royal house of Sweden. In 1559, there was a doomed romance with John, Count of Osterfriesland, the brother of the bridegroom of Cecilia's eldest sister, Princess Catherine of Sweden. At the wedding celebrations in Vadstena, Cecilia's brothers observed a man climbing into her window several nights in a row. When they decided to investigate the matter, they caught the Count, scantily clad, in their sister's chamber. Not surprisingly, a huge uproar ensued. John was thrown in prison (and possibly castrated) and Cecilia brutally beaten by her father; she later accused him of tearing out her hair. Nonetheless, the family tried to hush up the scandal, attempting to shift the blame onto Cecilia's maids.

The Vasas were eager to marry off the "black sheep" of the family. In 1561, the Polish envoy to Sweden, Johan Tenczynski, sued for Cecilia's hand, but nothing came of the idea. In 1564, Cecilia wedded Christopher II, Margrave of Baden-Rochemachen. Soon afterwards, she traveled to England, reportedly on a mission to press her brother Erik's suit for the hand of Elizabeth I.  The suit, however, was unsuccessful and Cecilia's extravagant expenses landed her deeply in debt. After a number of vicissitudes, Cecilia was granted the fiefdom of Arboga, Sweden, where she ruled as Countess, earning money by levying customs duties and taxes. In true Viking tradition, she also financed a fleet of pirates, supplementing her income through plunder on the high seas. She became involved in various political intrigues, possibly including plots against her brother, King John III of Sweden, and, after her husband's death, served as regent of Baden-Rochemachen in the 1580's.

Meanwhile, Cecilia had converted to Catholicism during the 1570's. Her decision anticipated that of her great-niece, Queen Christina of Sweden. In Reformed circles, this only served to reinforce Cecilia's reputation as a "scarlet woman," as Protestant propagandists maliciously accused her of running brothels. This was untrue, but the fact that Cecilia continued to become involved in scandal, giving birth to an illegitimate daughter in 1579, did nothing to enhance her good name. After a tumultuous and tragic life, she died in Brussels at the age of 87. One of her descendants, curiously enough, was Louis-Philippe, King of the French from 1830-1848.

The Mourning of Beata Helena von Morian

Some may remember my post on the execution of the Finnish Colonel, Johan Henrik Hästesko, one of the leaders of the controversial Anjala League and the only conspirator not to be pardoned. I have mixed feelings about the Anjala League, but the story of Hästesko's widow, Beata Helena von Morian (pictured above), inconsolable, yet always proud and haughty, has always appealed to my imagination. The formidable Beata is dramatically recalled by her great-grandson, Anders Ramsay, in his memoirs, Fran Barnaar till Silfverhar ("From Childhood Years to Silver Hairs"). After her husband's execution, Beata's once cheerful and hospitable household on the Mälkilä estate became a place of everlasting mourning. As I was recalling this story, these lines sprang to my mind.

Black Mourning reigns at Mälkilä,

And in the halls, where Joy once dwelt,

Grief holds court.

The Ramsays of Finland

In a warm and fascinating chronicle, Issabella Penttila, née Ramsay, tells of the Scottish family who became one of Finland's most distinguished noble houses.  The article was written in 1977, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Ramsays' arrival in Finland. To quote:

Let us look back and then try to place ourselves in the political situation 400 years ago in the two countries that are of interest to us: Scotland and Sweden-Finland. In Scotland, we have the 11-year-old boy-king, James VI. His mother Mary, Queen of Scots (Stuart) still had to serve ten years of her 20-year sentence in prison in England. Scotland's mightiest earls were arguing over who of them would reign in the boy-king's name. In Sweden, it was war campaigns as usual, on the eastern border and against Denmark. The rivalry of the royal brothers of the Vasa dynasty (1523-1668) had resulted in the dethronement and imprisonment of Erik XIV. The conflicts between his brothers Johan III and Hertiga Karl and between the Vasa's and the Swedish noblemen kept the political situation inflamed. Foreign experts had already been called to assist in various positions at the court. It was thus that foreign troops were recruited to strengthen the army. During the summer 1573 a troupe of 3,000 Scots stepped off the boat in Gothenburg. Among them were Alexander Ramsay and his son John Ramsay.

What did the Scots understand of the quarreling of the Vasas! Their leader let himself be misguided by the persuasive powers of the Frenchman Charles de Mornay and was thus involved in the so called 'de Mornay conspiracy' to free Erik XIV from prison. The air was filled with plot and rumour. It was decided to send the ferocious Scots to Livonia (an area comprising the modem states of Estonia and Latvia, under Swedish rule 1621-1721) so that they would be out of the way. In Livonia they could use their pent up energy to fight off Ivan IV Tatar warriors. Alexander Ramsay died in Livonia in 1576. He was called, according to the protocol of justice, 'der douve Schotte', which is a thoroughly German expression, which can be translated, according to my aunt Carin Quesnay, best as something close to 'the foolhardy Scot. The following year his son moved to Finland to stay. The genealogical tables present us with a problem at this point. Where there one or two that came at that point? Is it a case of Johan with his son Hans, or was it Hans who was known as Johan? What we are sure of is that Hans Ramsay in 1611 owned lhamiki in Somero. Here he made his home and established his family. It is from here that he rode out with the Scottish banner, later with the Finnish nobleman’s banner, when the call to war came. By request, he received evidence of his origin from Scotland, dated in Brechin by bishop David and signed by, among others, eight members of the Ramsay clan.

He accustomed himself well to the new settings. Jakob de la Gardie writes that "the noble and well-bred Hans Ramsay was always eager to serve the best interest of the Swedish crown and comported himself in a good and manly manner". Hans Ramsay's name is often mentioned among the men who visited the royal manor at Esbo with errands for the king and received provisions and forage. The relations to Scotland and the by now Stuart-led England were maintained. Two brothers Ramsay were sent to present themselves to the Scottish family and to study at Oxford. One may wish that they enjoyed some pleasant and bright days in college before they came home and met their death in Livonia. When the youngest son had reached the suitable age, the fight of academic studying had already been lit in Finland. He entered the Royal Abo Academy in 1642.

Hans Ramsay gave up his duties due to old age in 1644, and died in 1649 and was buried at the Somero churchyard. He was a typical example of a 16th and 17th century soldier, who fought where fighting was called for, and was awarded land in a country that he'd never heard spoken of, but who nevertheless set his roots down there. A few days ago, in Hufvudstadsbladet (=the main Swedish language daily newspaper in Finland) we were presented with a good explanation to why Hans Ramsay never left Finland: in the winters it was all but impossible, and the summers were too beautiful to even think of leaving. I want to quote another explanation, which I found in the biography of the Nobel prize winner Sir William Ramsay: the Scots were more concerned with their immediate homes rather than if they belonged to Sweden or Russia (this was written in 1907), and this is why they stayed and kept on living according to their old traditions. (Read more)

Finnish Pulla

Here is a recipe for making three loaves of pulla, Finland's delicious, sweet cardamom bread. I encourage everyone to try it!

Ingredients:

~2 cups milk
~1/2 cup warm water (110 F)
~1 (1/4) package active dry yeast
~1 cup white sugar
~1 tsp. salt
~1 tsp. ground cardamom
~4 eggs, beaten
~9 cups all-purpose white flour
~1/2 cup butter, melted
~1 egg, beaten
~2 tbsp. white sugar

Directions:

1. Warm milk until it bubbles, then remove from heat and let cool down. 
2. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Stir in lukewarm milk, sugar, salt, cardamom, eggs, 2 cups flour. Beat until dough is smooth and elastic. Add 3 more cups of flour, keep beating. Add melted butter, stir batter well. Beat again. Stir in remaining flour until dough is stiff.
3. Turn dough out of bowl onto floured surface, cover with inverted mixing bowl. Let rest for 15 min. Knead dough. Place it in lightly greased mixing bowl. Turn the dough to grease the top. Cover with a dishtowel. Let rise in warm place until doubled in bulk (1 hr). Punch down, let rise again.
4. Turn out again onto floured surface. Divide into 3 parts. Divide each third into 3 pieces. Roll each piece into a 12-16 in. strip. Braid 3 strips into a loaf. Make 3 large braided loaves. Put braids on greased baking sheets. Let rise for 20 min.
5. Brush each loaf with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar.
6. Bake at 400 F for 25-30 min. 

Some versions of the recipe include currants or raisins to taste.