Orthodox Christians mark Epiphany holiday – Photos
A Belarus Orthodox believer plunges into icy waters as a priest blesses him on the eve of the Epiphany holiday in Pilnitsa some 30 km outside Minsk, on January 18, 2013. Thousands of believers jumpe into holes cut in ice, braving freezing temperatures, on January 18 and early on January 19 to mark Epiphany, when they take part in a baptism ceremony. VIKTOR DRACHEV/AFP/Getty Images
- A woman crosses herself while bathing in the ice cold water of the Moskva River, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Jan. 18, 2013. Thousands of Russian Orthodox Church followers on Friday and Saturday will plunge into icy rivers and ponds across the country to mark the upcoming Epiphany, cleansing themselves with water deemed holy for the day. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is considered holy and pure until next year’s celebration, and is believed to have special powers of protection and healing. The Russian Orthodox Church follows the old Julian calendar, according to which Epiphany falls on Jan. 19. Moscow temperatures on Friday dropped to -15 Celcius (5 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Mikhail Metzel)
A dove flies after it was released by the Greek Patriarch Metropolitan Theophilos (front row, 3rd R) during a ceremony at the baptismal site known as Qasr el-Yahud on the banks of the Jordan River near the West Bank city of Jericho January 18, 2013. Over a thousand Orthodox Christians flocked to the Jordan River to celebrate the feast of the Epiphany at the traditional site where it is believed John the Baptist baptised Jesus. REUTERS/Baz Ratner
A Christian Orthodox nun plunges into the waters of the Jordan River during a ceremony marking the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany on January 18, 2013 at the Qasr al-Yahud baptismal site in the West Bank by the Jordan River. Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos III led the ceremony during which thousands of Orthodox Christians braved rain to plunge into plastic tubs filled with its murky water to celebrate Jesus’s baptism. MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP/Getty Images
A man plunges into the icy waters of a lake as part of celebrations for Epiphany, near the village of Pilnitsa, about 25 km (17 miles) northeast of Minsk, January 19, 2013. Orthodox believers marked Epiphany on January 19 by immersing themselves in icy waters regardless of the weather. REUTERS/Vasily Fedosenko
A general view of a small Orthodox church during a night Epiphany service, some 45 km (28 miles) east of Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 18, 2013. Orthodox believers immerse themselves in icy waters regardless of the weather, an age-old ritual which commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, or the Epiphany, which the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates on January 19. Picture taken January 18. REUTERS/Shamil Zhumatov
19/1/2013
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