Stripped New Year’s Celebrations

It may look crazy, but it’s a tradition every 1st of January in the city of The Hague (Netherlands). This year, 6,500 people dared to take a quick bath in the North Sea, where the temperatures are around six degrees Celsius (42° F).

Most of the brave participants said they do it every year because it’s fun, although they cannot stay in the water for a long time, considering the risk of exposing your body in such a cold weather.

Here’s a video showing that moment:

But Dutchs are not the only ones in the North hemisphere to follow this kind of tradition. Also in USA and Canada hundreds of people celebrate the Polar Bear Plunge Tradition in places along the East Coast and North-West Coast. They even come from warmer places in the country like California specially to participate in the event as a way to have a fresh –or, well, more than fresh, actually- start of the year.

What are the reasons that move someone to do this? While most of them say they just do it for the fun of it, others help to raise funds for different charity projects. Is there any other possible benefit? Well, “the father of Physical Culture”, Bernarr Macfadden (1868 – 1955) strongly believed that this activity improved stamina, immunity and even virility and promote it in several books published in the last century.

But if you are still wondering why in the hell someone could find this exciting, just check the answer of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club president, Dennis Thomas, who declared to Times Magazine: “It’s a way of breaking away from the past year. This is an activity that’s so different and so distinct from what we normally do in our everyday lives that it’s a very cathartic and cleansing experience. We all have stress, we know that — job, relationships, pressures; everyone’s got that. And I guarantee you that once you’re in that water, all that stuff disappears. You cannot think or worry about anything”.

Personally, I’ll think about it. After all, I’ll have the whole year to consider it.

PS: For other crazy and “naked” ways to celebrate the New Year’s Eve in the world, I suggest to check these funny pictures of the BBC News report.