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| Freezing for their faith: Orthodox Christians plunge into icy waters for Epiphany celebration despite sub-zero temperatures | |
| 2026-01-20 | |
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] Hundreds of thousands of Russians were among Orthodox believers marking the baptism of Jesus Christ in the icy waters of the Jordan River by John the Baptist. The Russian tradition sees Bikini-clad women and topless men plunging in an ice pool to mark Orthodox Epiphany. Believers immerse themselves three times in a row to invoke the Holy Trinity.
One report asked: 'Is this a church holiday or demonstrative erotica?' Comments were 'outraged by the overly revealing swimsuits of the women who came to plunge into the ice hole on Epiphany', reported E1 news outlet. It was seen as 'some kind of mockery of church tradition.' 'This is not the time when you need to 'show off' your naked bodies.' Some would rather watch bloody flagellation or crucifictions I suppose. People plunged in temperatures as low as minus 33C in Novosibirsk. In Moscow, over 60,000 people took part in Epiphany, bathing at the city's organised sites. Meanwhile in Voronezh, 9,000 people had immersed themselves in the cold when a Ukrainian drone alert meant the authorities closed ice pools amid dangers of explosions. Russian president Vladimir Putin failed to show at the event for the fifth year in a row. He was last seen performing the religious ritual in 2021, and when he first stopped appearing, there was speculation over his medical condition. However, the Kremlin said Putin took part in the ritual 'as he does every year', according to Russian news agency TASS. His press secretary Dmitry Peskov said: 'Vladimir Putin took an icy plunge, as he does every year.' 'Naturally, Epiphany is a great holiday for him, as for all Orthodox believers who work in the Kremlin.' 'This is a tradition and many honor it,' Peskov noted. 'However, some don't do this. This is a personal matter.' Meanwhile, 71-year-old Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko - Putin's closest ally - was seen braving the cold and manoeuvring himself into the chilly waters in an air temperature of minus 15C. | |
| Posted by:Skidmark |