Little Christmas: Russian Believers Plunge Into Freezing Water to Celebrate Epiphany

The devout and the daring are marking the Orthodox Christian holiday of Epiphany by immersing themselves in freezing water through holes cut through ice on lakes and rivers in Russia.

Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ as the incarnation of God through his baptism in the River Jordan. It is one of the most important days for believers after Christmas and Easter, and since over 70% of Russians belong to the Orthodox Church, there are numerous feasts across the country, with people showing their dedication and well-known disregard for bitterly cold weather.

Follow Sputnik's gallery to see more!

1/10

© Sputnik / Alexandr Kryazhev

/

Go to the mediabank

A girl plunges into a fountain during the celebration of Epiphany on the Ob River in Novosibirsk.

2/10

© Sputnik / Pavel Bednyakov

/

Go to the mediabank

People gather near the fountain during the Epiphany celebration in Izmailovsky Kremlin in Moscow.

3/10

© Sputnik / Ilya Naymushin

/

Go to the mediabank

An Orthodox priest performs the rite of blessing the water on the occasion of the feast of the Baptism of the Lord in a fountain with a continuous supply of water from the Yenisei, installed on the left-bank embankment in the Central District of Krasnoyarsk.

4/10

© Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich

/

Go to the mediabank

A woman rests at the site of Epiphany bathing at the Resurrection Stauropegial Monastery on the Istra River.

5/10

© AP Photo / Alexander Zemlianichenko

A Russian Orthodox priest blesses the icy water during a traditional Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near the TV Tower in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

6/10

© Sputnik / Pavel Bednyakov

A girl plunges into a fountain during the Epiphany celebration in Izmailovsky Kremlin in Moscow.

7/10

© Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich

/

Go to the mediabank

Participants in Epiphany bathing on the Istra River near the Resurrection Stauropegial Monastery.

8/10

© Sputnik / Pavel Bednyakov

/

Go to the mediabank

Believers plunge into a fountain during the celebration of Epiphany in Izmailovsky Kremlin in Moscow.

9/10

© Sputnik / Pavel Lisitsyn

/

Go to the mediabank

A man sits in a fountain during the celebration of Epiphany on Lake Shartash in Yekaterinburg.

10/10

© AP Photo / Alexander Zemlianichenko

Believers bathe in icy water during a traditional Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near the TV Tower in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023.