It is a tradition of the most refreshing: hundreds of disguised people celebrated this Wednesday the new year by risking themselves in the cold sea in Malo-les-Bains (North), for the “bain des givrés”, launched in 2000.
At noon sharp, and while the outside temperature peaked at two degrees, less than ten degrees for the water, the most festive launched themselves from the dike and covered several hundred meters of sand to dive into the North Sea, at low tide, in front of the objectives of the less adventurous, sometimes still dressed in down jackets or ski jackets, on dry land.
“You can come, we walk”, could we read on a second degree sign brandished by one of the “frosted” in a swimsuit, in the water up to the ankles, while waiting for his acolytes.
Among the “frosted”, often a glass of champagne in hand, one could recognize Dupond and Dupont, hockey players, a Superman, sailors, Cro-Magnon men, an inflatable lobster…, Yves Dupont, him , is disguised as “nothing”. “We take everything lying around and put it on. Everyone puts on anything!”, he laughs in striped overalls, a pink handbag on his arm and a hat colored with fruits and flowers on the head.
VIDEO >> Dunkirk’s traditional “frozen bath”
“(It’s) excellent like every year, (the water) very hot, with a heart full of love and a happy new year to all, we love you!” Says Ali Hamida, once out of the ‘water. “(The water) stings a little”, recognizes another “frosty” in wetsuit, a necklace of yellow flowers around her neck.
Philippe, an Obelix helmet for disguise, is certain to catch “no cold, no flu, no angina, nothing”. “There are no seals, it’s fine, it feels good!”. For many bathers, this dip serves as a “training” for the famous carnival of Dunkirk, one of the main in France.
