Cold-water swimmers’ New Year baptism 2025 – First Prague Cold-Water Swimming Club

On Sunday 5 January 2025, I. plavecký klub otužilců Praha held its traditional cold-water swimmers’ baptism. This club tradition goes back almost a century. As usual, we gathered on the riverbank below our clubhouse in Prague-Braník.

Every year, the event welcomes newcomers, long-standing members and other cold-water enthusiasts who do not belong to the club. Spectators quite often join us in the Vltava during the baptism, sometimes for their very first cold-water swim! This year was no exception: a female reporter and a male reporter, representing the two main Czech television broadcasters, both took off their warm coats and entered the icy river.

Naturally, both had medical certificates confirming their fitness for winter swimming.

Dozens of swimmers took part. Club chairman Tomáš Prokop poured Vltava water from a beautiful glass goblet down each participant’s back, starting at the neck. The traditional exchange followed: the person conducting the baptism calls ‘Zlom vaz!’ (‘Break a leg!’), and the swimmer replies ‘Vem tě ďas!’ (‘The devil take you!’). Everyone then enjoyed a swim of their choosing. The Vltava was truly icy this year, making it a proper baptism: the water was 3°C and the air 0.5°C. Best of all, a fresh, unbroken blanket of snow several centimetres deep provided the perfect winter backdrop. Each participant took home a commemorative baptism certificate. At the end, visitors dipped a little finger into the goblet of Vltava water as a wish for good health throughout the year.

Watch the video and browse the galleries below to see how the day unfolded. Perhaps we will meet you on the banks of the Vltava next year!