82 000 Bathe in Icy Water on Epiphany in Moscow

known as Theophany, is one of the Great Feasts, marking the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist in the Jordan River and the beginning of his ministry. The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the holiday on January 19, in line with the Julian calendar. Honouring an old Russian tradition, cross-shaped holes are cut in ice over lakes and rivers and celebrators plunge into the water — typically three times, in honour of the Holy Trinity — around midnight, often after an attending priest says a prayer. —RIA Novosti.