In Photos: Russians Celebrate Epiphany With Frozen Plunge
Russians marked Orthodox Epiphany overnight by plunging into icy rivers, ponds and lakes across the country.
The holiday, which commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan, is observed by the Russian Orthodox Church on Jan. 19. Traditional ice bathing typically begins at midnight.
According to tradition, people immerse themselves completely three times to symbolize the Holy Trinity.
We have rounded up photos of the Epiphany celebrations from western Russia to the Far East:
The holiday, which commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan, is observed by the Russian Orthodox Church on Jan. 19. Traditional ice bathing typically begins at midnight.
According to tradition, people immerse themselves completely three times to symbolize the Holy Trinity.
We have rounded up photos of the Epiphany celebrations from western Russia to the Far East:
A woman goes ice bathing at the Izmailovo Kremlin in Moscow.
Arina Antonova / TASS
Men plunge into the icy waters of the Yenisei River in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia.
Nikolai Burmatov / TASS
A woman plunges into the Volga River in the southern city of Volgograd.
Dmitry Rogulin / TASS
A woman goes ice bathing on the Volga River near Kineshma in the Ivanovo region.
Vladimir Smirnov / TASS
A woman takes an icy plunge in Belgorod, a city close to the Ukrainian border.
Anton Vergun / TASS
A woman plunges into an ice hole in Khabarovsk, in Russia’s Far East.
Danil Biryukov / TASS
Men take a dip in a baptismal font in Ryazan.
Alexander Ryumin / TASS
Epiphany bathing on Borisov Pond in Moscow.
Moskva News Agency
A woman plunges into icy waters in Moscow’s Strogino district.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
Epiphany bathing at Tsaritsyno Park in Moscow.
Denis Voronin / Moskva News Agency
Epiphany bathing at Tsaritsyno Park in Moscow.
Vasily Kuzmichenok / Moskva News Agency
Epiphany bathing in a carved ice font on Ostankino Pond in Moscow.
Dmitry Belitsky / Moskva News Agency
Epiphany bathing in a carved ice font on Ostankino Pond in Moscow.
Dmitry Belitsky / Moskva News Agency
A man plunges into an ice hole in Tsaritsyno Park, Moscow.
Vasily Kuzmichenok / Moskva News Agency
A priest consecrates the ice font during Epiphany celebrations in Moscow’s Strogino district.
Sergei Vedyashkin / Moskva News Agency
