Brrr... winter swimmers brave Europe's icy waters for annual Christmas dip

Dressed in festive attire, participants plunge into Europe's bitter waters in what has become a long-standing tradition.

Hundreds of people of all ages took part in traditional Christmas swims across Europe despite freezing temperatures. Dressed in festive attire, participants braved the bitter waters in the UK, Russia, France, Germany and the Czech Republic in what has become a long-standing tradition.

With the air temperature at roughly minus 34 degrees, members of the Krasnoyarsk Cryophile amateur winter swimmers club took a bath in the icy waters of the Russia's Yenisei River. Winter swimmers in France took a dip in the Canal de l'Ourq in Pantin where the water was a mere 5 degrees Celsius and the Serpentine lake in London's Hyde Park hosted the annual Peter Pan Christmas day swimming race. IBTimes UK presents some of the best photos from the icy cold festivities across Europe;