For Paphos’s dedicated winter swimmers, Christmas Day is just another morning at the office—albeit a very wet one. Dozens of locals kept their long-standing holiday ritual alive today, diving into the Mediterranean at the Kato Paphos Municipal Baths to celebrate the birth of Christ in the water.
Favoured by a break in the recent harsh weather, swimmers were greeted by clear skies and calm seas at dawn—a sharp contrast to the biting winds of previous days.
A liquid tradition
The holiday routine for the Paphos Winter Swimmers Association follows a strict, festive pattern:
The Dip: Members gather early at the Municipal Baths for their morning swim.
The Toast: Christmas wishes are exchanged while treading water or standing on the shoreline.
The Feast: The group moves directly from the sea to a traditional festive table laid out «beside the waves.»
Despite recent meteorological warnings of an approaching storm front, the swimmers remained undeterred. For this community, the winter sea is a “habit that became a passion,” and no amount of cold can break a tradition that has spanned decades.