Russian Orthodox Christians in Moscow celebrate the feast of Epiphany, commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.<br/> A priest blesses the water in a hole cut in the frozen Moskva River.<br/> The bravest devotees take a ritual dip in the freezing water, which they believe symbolically cleanses them of sin.<br/> They also believe it is good for your health.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) MOSCOW RESIDENT YURI NIKOLAYEVICH, SAYING:<br/> "I am a winter swimmer, there's a place near here where I have been winter swimming for seven years already. On such a great holiday like Epiphany, which is one of the twelve great feasts, the feeling is amazing, you don't feel the cold and you feel God's grace."<br/> But the holy bath is not limited to the Russian capital, with thousands across the country taking the plunge.<br/> Here on the Kamchatka Peninsula in the Pacific Ocean, hundreds wade into the sea.<br/> (SOUNDBITE) (Russian) PETROPAVLOVSK-KAMCHATSKY RESIDENT, NO NAME GIVEN, SAYING:<br/> "You come out of the water feeling purged. And it's warm, it's absolutely normal, and I have lost one of my slippers."<br/> Some seem to enjoy the ritual more than others -- this little boy says, "I'm not going in there again!"<br/> Russians who enjoy bathing in freezing water throughout the winter are given the nickname "morzhi", or walruses.<br/> Nick Rowlands, Reuters.
