It’s a saying in Estonia, that a bear’s coat does not fear the cold. In the past days, we have learned that so does not the coat of a real PÖFF wolf. What started as a quick plan, made by a few enthusiasts on the first night of the festival, has grown into a daily morning routine of cold water swimming.
Join us for the challenge - wherever you are - and win a prize!
Scroll down to read about the special challenge, that Black Nights Film Festival and Visit Estonia have set out. Join in on the real Estonian experience and win a prize!
Every morning at 8, an ever-growing group of festival guests meets in the lobby of the hotel, eyes still sleepy, wrapped in layers of bathrobes, hats, scarves, and winter coats. Dagmar Raudam, an avid winter swimmer for almost twenty years, and head of guests at the festival is the leader of this wolf pack. Herself dressed in a fluffy, yellow towel poncho, Ugg-boots, and equipped with swimming booties as well as gloves, you can see she is a professional at work.
Most of the others are new to the practice, some have few experiences. Hannes Aava, head of Communications of the festival shares tales of dipping into an ice hole in Tartu’s Ema river. “Once the water on the river shores freezes, they’ll take a chain saw and carve a little pool especially for the winter swimmers,” he recounts while we get in the PÖFF car, that has arrived in front of the hotel just for this occasion, and will take us to the Pikakari beach. “Don’t the Dutch have a strong tradition in winter swimming?”
Yes, there is the traditional swim on New Year’s Day, where hundreds of Dutch people gather on the beaches and go for a cold dip all at once. And of course, there is Dutchman Wim Hof, better known as ‘The Ice Man’, who has quite smartly named the whole phenomenon of getting your body accustomed to cold temperatures, by the right breathing techniques, after himself: The Wim Hof-method. Exposing your body to this extreme cold should have benefits such as heightened blood circulation, an improved immune system, and even higher libido. The challenge to practice staying calm, and keep breathing is also said to have positive effects on mental health resilience.
Historically the tradition might be stronger in the northern countries – where it goes hand in hand with sauna tradition, and people long knowing that the most refreshing thing to do after a sauna is to jump into ice-cold water or the snow. Latvian Edvinas agrees: he knows many people who live along the coast of Latvia or Lithuania who go winter swimming. For he himself lives far away from the water, he hasn’t practiced it himself. Until this week. He has not missed even one morning. “I have become addicted!” he says, laughing.
Once at the beach, we are welcomed by a big group of swimmers, wearing bathing suits and colourful tutu’s. Dagmar’s regular swimming group, who meet here daily. Today to celebrate one of their birthdays, with special costumes and champagne.
The festive atmosphere and big group add to the adrenaline and layers of clothes slowly start to strip off here and there. “But not the hat!” says Edvinas. “I’ve learned from Dagmar, by observing her. Always keep the hat on.” Edvinas started with just a dip in the water on his first morning but now can already do a few laps in front of the quay.
I watch the greyish sea, backed by a view over the Viimsi peninsula. It almost looks like summer; colourful dots of people splashing around. Some Vikings even stay swimming around in the water, for several minutes and long laps. Head of industry, Marge Liiske, is one of them. She has practiced so long as to be able to swim up to 10 minutes in cold water.
But, what is cold? This morning it is 7 degrees, some days it has been 6, or 8. I walk into the water until the cold is halfway up my stomach and gasp. Keep breathing, I think. Tip number one of Dagmar, and Wim Hof alike. I take a few slow breaths, dip in once and another time, and run out again. Tomorrow is another day. Now, first to the sauna.
To help both you and us overcome the heartbreak that so many filmmakers and journalists were not able to come to Estonia this year, we decided with our friends at Visit Estonia to launch the Black Nights Winter Swimming Challenge so you could simulate the Estonian experience whereever you are right now!
Please send us a video of you doing a winter swim, regardless of where you are at the moment and and upload it on Facebook or Instagram, using the following hashtags: #blacknightswinterswimmingchallenge2020 #visitestonia #tallinnblacknightsfilmfestival #pöff24 tag @visitestonia and @tallinnblacknightsfilmfestival
The colder the water the better!
We will try to share as many videos as possible on our channels and will send a gift - to be announced! - to the author of our favourite one. The videos will be evaluated by an expert jury of winter swimming video professionals!
