Epiphany: Orthodox Christians plunge into ice holes cut into frozen rivers and lakes
Orthodox Christians across eastern Europe have braved some of the lowest temperatures in decades as they plunged into icy water to celebrate the Epiphany.
Orthodox Christians across eastern Europe and central Asia have braved some of the lowest temperatures in decades as they plunged into icy water to celebrate the Epiphany. Special cross-shaped holes were cut into thick ice covering rivers and lakes. The age-old ritual commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.
Cossacks help a boy to take a dip in the icy waters of a frozen lake during the celebration of the Epiphany holiday near the village of Leninskoe in KyrgyzstanVyacheslav Oseledko/AFPA man takes a dip in icy waters of the Dnieper river during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations in the town of Vyshgorod, UkraineGleb Garanich/Reuters
Orthodox Christians who use the Julian Calendar [including Russians, Ukrainians, Serbians, Georgians, Copts, Ethiopians and Palestinians] celebrate Epiphany on 19 January, nearly two weeks after it is celebrated by Christians in the rest of the world. Many Russian Orthodox Christians believe that bathing on the Epiphany symbolically washes away their sins. However, others take the plunge simply because they believe a dip in the cold water is good for their health.
A woman plunges into a cross-shaped ice hole, as part of Orthodox Epiphany celebrations in Kiev, UkraineSergei Supinsky/AFPPeople take a dip in an ice hole cut into Ada Ciganlija lake during Epiphany celebrations in Belgrade, SerbiaDjordje Kojadinovic/ReutersBelievers swim in the ice cold water of Ada Ciganlija lake during Epiphany celebrations in Belgrade, SerbiaDjordje Kojadinovic/ReutersA woman takes a dip in the icy waters of a lake during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations in Minsk, BelarusVasily Fedosenko/ReutersA man takes a dip during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations in front of the Voznesenskiy (Ascension) Cathedral in Almaty, KazakhstanShamil Zhumatov/ReutersPeople attend a religious service at an ice hole in the village of Velikoye, Yaroslavl region, RussiaMaxim Shemetov/ReutersA man holds a cross he retrieved from the water during Epiphany Day celebrations in Visegrad, Bosnia and HerzegovinaDado Ruvic/ReutersA woman steps out of an ice hole after taking a dip in the icy waters of a lake during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations in Minsk, BelarusVasily Fedosenko/ReutersMen take a dip in a hole cut into the ice over a lake during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations in Minsk, BelarusVasily Fedosenko/ReutersA man takes a dip in the Bolshaya Almatinka river in Almaty, KazakhstanShamil Zhumatov/ReutersA man takes a dip in a cross-shaped hole cut into the ice over a lake during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations near the village of Pilnitsa, BelarusVasily Fedosenko/ReutersA man takes a dip in the icy waters of a lake during Orthodox Epiphany celebrations near the village of Pilnitsa, BelarusVasily Fedosenko/ReutersAn Orthodox priest immerses a cross into the icy water of a lake near the village of Pilnitsa, BelarusVasily Fedosenko/ReutersOrthodox Christian believers plunge into a cross-shaped hole cut into the Dniper River in Kiev, as part of Orthodox Epiphany celebrationsSergei Supinsky/AFPBelievers take a dip in a cross-shaped hole cut into the ice over Ada Ciganlija lake in Belgrade, SerbiaSrdjan Stevanovic/Getty ImagesOrthodox Christian believers plunge into an ice hole made in the form of a cross during celebrations of the Epiphany holiday in the Dniper river in the Ukrainian capital of KievSergei Supinsky/AFPChristian Orthodox believers swim to retrieve a cross from the icy waters of the Danube River in Belgrade, SerbiaAndrej Isakovic/AFPA woman crosses herself while taking a dip in an ice hole during celebration of the Epiphany in Minsk, BelarusMaxim Malinovsky/AFPAn Orthodox believer runs out of the icy water after plunging into a pond during the celebration of the Epiphany in MoscowKirill Kudryavtsev/AFPA Christian Orthodox believer plunges into the icy waters of a pond in MoscowKirill Kudryavtsev/AFP
