Despite severe frosts, people in Kyiv plunged into icy water to honor Epiphany Day, celebrated on Jan. 19 across the Eastern Christian world.
On this day, people commemorate the baptism of Christ in the waters of the Jordan River according to the Gregorian calendar.
A well-known holiday tradition is gathering near natural reservoirs, which are consecrated by a priest. People are immersed in the icy water three times. It is believed that this ritual cleanses the soul and bestows good health.
Kyivans took their sacred dips in the city’s Hydropark, in Obolon and on the banks of the Dnipro and Rusanivska. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, rescuers, State Emergency Service divers and medical workers stood by near the ceremonies.
