By Emily Cassel, News Correspondent

There are plenty of methods for recovering after a particularly rough New Year’s Eve:’ coffee, raw eggs, vitamins, and for some, jumping into the frigid waters of Boston Harbor.
Perhaps that was the mentality for participants in the L Street Brownies’ New Year’s Day Swim, which took place at 9 a.m. Jan. 1, when the temperature of the Harbor hovered at about 40 degrees.
Although there was no count of the exact number of participants in the swim, director of the Curley Community Center Fred Ahern estimated that 700 people jumped into the harbor, which he says is about 100 more than last year.
‘It’s becoming bigger than I ever expected,’ Ahern said.
Ahern said that the popularity of the New Year’s Day Swim has spiked noticeably in the past 15 to 20 years, becoming a novelty for people who generally only go swimming in the summer. He attributes much of the event’s popularity to the changing demographic of South Boston.
‘We’ve got an influx of younger kids, 25 to 35, recent college gradsand young professionals living in the neighborhood over here,’ Ahern said. ‘I think they’re party responsible for the numbers getting up to where they are.’
According to Ahern, the New Year’s Day swim in Boston Harbor is a tradition that began more than 100 years ago, when a group of ‘hearty old souls’ known as the L Street Brownies took the plunge.
‘They would meet down here on a regular basis, whenever they could get away, and they would go for their dip every day. Many of these guys would take a dunk in the water,’ Ahern said.
A group of about 50 men from the Brownies swam in the water each day because they believed it had healing powers and was good for the immune system.
The Brownies still exist; according to Ahern, there are a few dozen men who swim in the freezing waters every day. However, on New Year’s Day they are joined by a variety of men and women who Ahern estimates are anywhere from 8 to 80 years old.
‘I’ve even seen a couple of dogs run into the water,’ he said.
There is no charge to be a part of the New Year’s Day swim, but Ahern said that there is a large donation jug at the registration table. The money from those donations goes to a scholarship fund for high school seniors who live in South Boston.
In addition, Ahern said that participants from as far away as New Hampshire used the swim as a way to raise money for charity. ‘They do pledges to get people in their neighboring towns to raisemoney for charity,’ he said. ‘People come here with their shirts on, identifying what charity they’re with, and they’ll participate in the swim as a group.’
Although the number of swimmers is increasing each year, several Northeastern students said they doubted they would ever participate in the swim.
Middler communication studies major Victoria Haskell had never heard of the event, and was unenthusiastic about the idea of participating.
‘I would never do that,’ Haskell said, ‘absolutely not.’
However, she said, ‘I could see a lot of college students doing it\ though, as a group.’
Alanoud Albuainain, a junior art major, echoed Haskell’s opinion.
‘I don’t think it’s wise, and besides that, it’s cold,’ she said.
Freshman Tammy Do, whose major is undeclared, also said that she hadno interest in participating in the swim.
Do said, ‘I don’t want to freeze to death.’