Midlife guide to...
pänts drunk
What did you get up to at the weekend?
Me? Oh, I mostly engaged in the newest Scandinavian self-care phenomenon. And I must say, I really took to it. I feel great.
Really? You never seemed very bothered by hygge or
lagom when they were flavour of the month…
True, but I wasn’t about to build a pillow fort and dress as if Laura Ashley had thrown up on me, or discard half of my family’s possessions in the weird belief it would make me
less stressed. So I felt comfortable giving those a miss, you know?
Fine. Well, what does this one involve? Drinking at home, alone, in your underwear. That’s it?
That’s it. We orthodox believers in the West call it “päntsdrunk”, while the genius Finns behind it call it “kalsarikänni”. It is an ancient practice there, where it is officially promoted by the ministry of foreign affairs as intrinsic to the culture. Now, one generous Finn, author Miska Rantanen, is sharing their secret with the world by publishing Päntsdrunk: The Finnish Path to Relaxation, an explanatory guide.
And how exactly did the Finns come to make partially clothed domestic drinking a national pastime?
Well, according to Rantanen, during the dark, frigid winters that Finns have to endure for more than half the year, no right-minded local can be bothered to put on 43 layers and go out for a pint, so they stay at home, with one layer on, and drink there instead.
Sounds like a slippery slope…
Well, how do you explain the UN’S recent news that Finland has overtaken Norway as the world’s happiest nation?
Fair enough. Pass me the wine, I’m getting down to my long johns.