3,000 naked swimmers celebrate the winter solstice in Australian Tasmania
6:23 AM EDT, June 23, 2024
In Australia, the winter solstice was commemorated unusually. Three thousand naked swimmers entered the Derwent River in the city of Hobart, Tasmania, wearing only red caps. They celebrated the shortest day of the year in the Southern Hemisphere.
In the Northern Hemisphere, we enjoy the longest days of the year, while in the Southern Hemisphere, it's the opposite—June 21 was celebrated as the winter solstice.
Just before 8:00 AM, the sound of drums and red flares signaled for 3,000 completely naked individuals to run into the water. At dawn, the water temperature was only 54°F, and the air was even colder—the mercury stopped at 43°F.
An unusual way to celebrate the winter solstice
In this way, they celebrated the end of the longest night of the year.
"When the drums sound, there is a real sense of being together," said Karl Malakoff, a participant in the swim, in an interview with the Australian press agency AAP. "Until the last moment before entering the water, you should not take off your shoes because the sand is frozen," the swimmer shared.
"It was tough when the water only reached my waist. I had to grit my teeth to get through that tough moment," said another event participant, Bec Trollip. She announced that she would return to participate in the joint swim again next year.
The first winter solstice swim took place in Hobart in 2013. It attracted several hundred participants and was part of the Dark Mofo festival, which is organized by the Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart, Tasmania.
