Epiphany baths without the traditional holes in the ice

In Moscow, the traditional Epiphany bath does not resemble the image in Epinal.

It is too hot in the Russian capital, Moscow believers are deprived of holes in the ice for the January ritual.

On January 19, Orthodox Christians celebrate Epiphany and commemorate the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River.

Bathing in cold water is believed to strengthen the body and mind and usually the combination of water and ice amplifies the symbol.

Leonid Starkov, chief meteorologist of Gismeteo: “The average temperature significantly exceeds the norm. For example, we are already seeing a thaw in St. Petersburg. In Moscow, we are seeing a thaw. And in the south of Russia, the temperature already reached 5 or 10 degrees Celsius.

The Russian Defense Ministry releases images of soldiers observing the Epiphany bathing ritual.

The Russian Orthodox Church has supported the Kremlin since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine launched in February 2022.