MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin marked Orthodox Epiphany with a traditional icy dip, his press secretary Dmitry Peskov said.

"Vladimir Putin took an icy plunge, as he does every year," he told reporters. "Naturally, Epiphany is a great holiday for him, as for all Orthodox believers who work in the Kremlin."

"This is a tradition and many honor it," Peskov noted. "However, some don’t do this. This is a personal matter."

Presidential tradition

Immersing in ice-cold water on Epiphany is not bravado for 73-year-old Putin. This is a tribute to cultural and, in a sense, Christian tradition. The president is known to be a religious man. In addition, he is in excellent physical shape and can afford practicing customs that are extreme for most ordinary people without risk to his health.

The Kremlin first reported that the president had taken part in Epiphany bathing in 2018. Back then, Putin was on a trip to St. Petersburg. He plunged into an ice hole at Lake Seliger while visiting the Nilov Monastery in the Tver Region. Peskov explained then that it was not the first experience of Epiphany bathing for the president. Putin, in his words, took part in Epiphany events "in a more private environment."

Since then, the president’s plans for January 19 have been the focus of public interest fueled by videos released by the Kremlin press service in 2021, featuring the Russian president, wearing a sheepskin coat and felt boots, approaching a cross-shaped ice hole, crossing himself, and immersing himself in ice-cold water.

According to official reports, since then, Putin took part in Epiphany bathing in the Moscow Region, skipping only 2020 and 2022. In 2020, he was barred from doing this by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in 2022 he was recommended by medics and the church to avoid the epidemiological situation.

About the tradition

The tradition of plunging into a cross-shaped ice hole on Epiphany symbolizes the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan. While visiting Jordan in 2007, President Putin immersed his hands in the waters of the river and visited the place where John the Baptist met the Savior. During his next visit to Jordan in 2012, Putin took part in the opening ceremony of the Russian Guest House near the site of Jesus Christ’s baptism.

Epiphany bathing organized in Russia overnight on January 19 is rather a popular tradition than a church rite. The Orthodox Church, however, generally approves of this tradition if it is treated with reverence and poses no health risks.