The first day of the year, in many places around the world, there is the tradition of diving into waters that in the northern emisphere could obviously be very very cold. 2008 has not been different and from New York to Rome, from Japan to Sweeden and in many other places some courageous guys (sometimes drunk courageous guys...) dived into rivers and seas.

I've chosen to show you this Reuters Video of the famous dutch beach of Sheveningen where hundreds of people has had their traditional icy cold new year bath:



and these pictures of Rome, where every year people crowds on Ponte Cavour, to see the ritual dives in the Tiber river. The sunny day should not deceive you: air temperature was 4 celsius degrees... pretty cold!


©ANSA

©giorgio clementi