Russians Celebrate Baptism of Jesus

YouTube ^ | 01-21-2013 | Marine1063

[NRx]

Russians and Ukrainians celebrating the Baptism of Jesus Christ (Theophany in the Orthodox Church). A popular custom includes a triple immersion in ice cold water. They cut giant cross shaped holes in the ice over lakes and rivers allowing those so desiring to take the plunge.

Video at the link.

[Jan_Sobieski]

Cool!

[Ken H]

Cool!

Extremely!

[Thunder 6]

They, along with the Poles and Hungarians may be the last hope for Europe.

[dfwgator]

As long as the Russians stay out of Poland.

[Savage Beast]

Remember when Russia was an officially atheist country? It is no longer.

Donald Trump promises that when he is President the United States will no longer be an atheist country either.

[Thunder 6]

Reminded me about killing Germans as business and killing Russians as a pleasure.

[Mrs. Don-o]

The Ukrainian Greek Catholics in Knoxville do this too, or something like it. The priest throws the crucifix in the Holston River, (or rather, it's a branch of the Holston) and the teen boys all jump in and try to find it, which means of course they have to go feel around with their feet--- or if it's more than head-deep, go to the bottom! The young fellow who finds it is the hero of the day, of course: much laughinbg and back-slapping, and everybody chanting and doing metanias.

Of course the Holston is nowhere near as cold as the Neva. Usually no ice, even.

One thing in this great video surprised me: the girls!! I never thought girls would have been allowed to do this, especially in Russia.

Well, times change...

[NRx]

Throwing in a gold cross and then having the local boys retrieve it is a Greek tradition. Of course in Greece it is generally warmer than just about anywhere in Russia. As K likes to say, “the Greeks are the fun part of the Church.”