Eda Veeroja is a prominent advocate for the preservation and promotion of Estonia’s smoke sauna tradition. Thanks to her initiative, the smoke sauna was inscribed on the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list in 2014. Deeply rooted in her native Haanjamaa, the smoke sauna embodies a rich cultural heritage that includes the knowledge of heating, whipping, sauna words, and ritual practices. Traditionally regarded as a sacred space, the sauna is closely tied to the human life cycle, particularly birth and death.

At the ESPA Congress, she will give a lecture: “Estonian Smoke Sauna – UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity“.