Orthodox Christians celebrated Epiphany on Jan. 19 in Mamayeva Sloboda folk park in Kyiv by plunging into the ice cold water of a lake.
Read in Kyiv Post: “Plunging into ice cold water on Epiphany isn’t that bad after all“
It is believed that on Epiphany, the day when Jesus Christ was baptised in the waters of the river Jordan, all the water areas symbolically become river Jordan. On Epiphany, Eastern Orthodox Christians plunge into the rivers and lakes, no matter what the temperature is. They believe that it will make them healthier for the next year.
