Revelers plunge into seas, lakes and rivers to herald the new year

People hold glasses of sparkling wine as they celebrate the new year with a dip into the chilly waters of Lake Geneva in Switzerland. About 60 swimmers took part in the 20th edition of the traditional bath. (Fabrice Coffrini / AFP/Getty Images)

Jan. 1, 2014 11:10 AM PT

Some call it a polar plunge; others just call it crazy. Whatever you call it, you have to call it brave as these hearty souls wash away the old year and welcome the new. Here’s a look at the looniness and laughs of those who are taking a dip on the first day of 2014.

Swimmers dance as they pose for photographers after a New Year’s swim in the cold waters of the Bay of Biscay at Concha Beach in San Sebastian, Spain. (Juan Herrero / EPA)

About 1,000 New Year’s swimmers, many in costume, take a dip in front of the Forth Rail Bridge during the annual Loony Dook Swim in the River Forth in South Queensferry, Scotland. (Jeff J. Mitchell / Getty Images)

Swimmers take part in a traditional sea bath during New Year’s celebrations at Carcavelos Beach in Cascais, near Lisbon, Portugal. (Jose Sena Goulao / EPA)

Costumed members of the Polish Walrus Club take part in the annual New Year’s dip in the Baltic Sea at Gdansk-Jelitkowo Beach near Gdansk, Poland. (Adam Warzawa / EPA)

Two women take part in the traditional sea swim to mark the start of the new year in Scheveningen, Netherlands. (Robin Utrecht / AFP/Getty Images)

A local character known as Mister OK delights spectators watching from the banks of the Tiber River as he participates in the traditional New Year’s Day dip, diving from the Ponte Cavour bridge in Rome. (Massimo Percossi / EPA)

People exit the chilly waters of Lake Balaton during the third annual New Year’s Swim in Szigliget, about 100 miles southwest of Budapest, Hungary. The temperature of the lake was about 37 degrees. (Gyorgy Varga / EPA)

Costumed members of a club called Berliner Seehunde (Berlin Seals) take part in the New Year’s swim in the Orankesee Lake in Berlin. (Britta Pedersen / AFP/Getty Images)

People run to take part in the traditional sea bath during New Year’s celebrations at Malo-Les-Bains Beach in Dunkirk, northern France. (Philippe Huguen / AFP/Getty Images)

A man in a bodysuit does a flip on the beach beside the North Sea at the annual New Year’s Day swim in Whitley Bay, northeast England. (Lindsey Parnaby / AFP/Getty Images)