Orthodox Christians celebrate Baptism — one of the 12 major religious holidays. Among his tradition — ice swimming. It is believed that it cleanses us from our sins. In many Russian cities for believers equipped with thousands of special fonts. To dip in them started the day before, on Christmas eve.
whether because of the weekend, whether warm winter features, but Moscow reservoirs in this Epiphany eve gathered a long queue, and this despite the fact that the Orthodox Church does not consider extreme swimming is required. Rather, this folk tradition, which is so fond of.
Is water Baptism a miraculous, everyone decides for themselves, but what winter diving activates the hormone of happiness — that’s for sure. The fonts can be found even foreigners. Students from Ecuador have ventured, too, ducked out of curiosity.
But swimming in icy water is a dangerous business: seizures, hypothermia, loss of consciousness; there are strokes and heart attacks. Just in case the reservoirs are on duty ambulance. Always there MOE representatives. The professionals help the volunteers of the all-Russian student rescue corps.
Sites for Epiphany bathing were prepared in the morning. In total the volunteers on the waters in Baptism there are about 600 students in 30 regions.
across Russia has equipped nearly four thousand places for Epiphany bathing, they tried to make it as safe as possible. It is expected that by the end of the resurrection will participate in the winter year of not less than two million people.
