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Orthodox believers warmly welcome Epiphany by taking icy dunks using COVID caution

The traditional Epiphany night dips were cancelled in some Russian regions due to the pandemic

MOSCOW, January 19. /TASS/. On Wednesday, the Russian Orthodox Church is celebrating one of the 12 key Christian holidays - Epiphany. The traditional Epiphany night dips were cancelled in some Russian regions due to the pandemic, while in other regions they were held with the observance of sanitary requirements.

For instance, according to the Emergencies Ministry’s Main Directorate for the Vladimir Region, 38 ice holes were cut out of frozen bodies of water along with 14 stationary dipping tubs having been set up. Before the celebration, all these facilities were inspected. Two dipping pools will be open in Vladimir where traditionally the greatest number of believers gather for the customary Epiphany plunge. The Emergencies Ministry and local authorities have ensured the operations of mobile kitchens with hot tea to keep the participants warm.

Russia’s northwest waters frosty enough to dive into

In St. Petersburg, holiday services were held in all Russian Orthodox Churches. About 20 Epiphany dipping stations were set up in various parts of the city. The process adhered to all the current anti-epidemic requirements which include social distancing in changing rooms and in lines. In the entire northwest, only the Kaliningrad Region completely cancelled the icy plunge tradition, the regional diocese told TASS. In two other regions the freezing dunks will be held in a limited format.

The most favorable conditions for the ritual dunks are in the Nenets Autonomous Region where thanks to the local frosts, the ice thickness on the Pechora river has reached 50-60 centimeters and in the neighboring Arkhangelsk Region the ice on bodies of water there has a thickness of up to 50-60 centimeters. In all regions, the religious dips will be monitored by lifeguards.

Diminished dips in the Volga and Urals?

In several areas in the Volga Region, the number of pools to take the ritual plunge have been cut back to avoid any potential increase in COVID-19 cases. For instance, in Orenburg one dipping location has been set up with six more in the Orenburg Region. The authorities of the Perm Region decided not set up a religious dunking site, due to the tense coronavirus situation. Earlier, restrictive measures on mass events in the region had been extended until January 31. Additionally, the local authorities addressed Perm’s diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church asking to avoid crowding and to observe safety and sanitary rules.

Siberia’s devout dives on thin ice?

The organized Epiphany dips are being held in more than 200 locations throughout Siberia. Many regions reduced the number of dipping sites due to an insufficiently thick layer of ice on waterways and the coronavirus pandemic, the regional directorates of the Emergencies Ministry told TASS.

The Irkutsk Region’s press service specified that the religious Epiphany dunks would not be held in large cities, such as Irkutsk, Bratsk, Ust-Ilimsk, and others, due to thin ice and the complicated epidemic situation.

According to the Emergencies Ministry, 12 dipping locations have been set up in Khakassia and 35 others in the Omsk Region. Some 59 Epiphany ice holes have been prepared on bodies of water in the Altai Republic and the Altai Region. Due to unstable ice situation in the Kemerovo Region, the number of ice holes has been reduced from the projected 63 to 54, while in the Novosibirsk Region, it increased from 24 to 33, compared to last year. The local directorate of the Emergencies Ministry explained that it was done in order to avoid spontaneous dipping locations that may be dangerous.

Due to the coronavirus restrictions, the icy Epiphany plunges were cancelled in Tuva, the Tomsk Region, the Taymyr Peninsula and in Krasnoyarsk and Norilsk.

Icy religious plunges out in the Far East

Traditional Epiphany dunks took place in the majority of Russia’s Far Eastern regions overnight on January 19. Sites for the religious plunges have not been set up in Kamchatka and Ulan-Ude, the capital of Buryatia, due to the epidemiological situation, the regional authorities told TASS.

"In the Khabarovsk Region, in order to celebrate Epiphany, 21 dunking sites have been prepared where Orthodox believers may perform ritual ablutions with the observance of safety measures. The crews of emergency services are on duty near all official dunking locations. Preventive measures against the spread of the coronavirus infection are compulsory as well," the website of the regional government said. Social distancing should be observed at the dipping sites and masks are required inside the tents for warming up.

In the Amur Region, 12 bathing locations have been set up on the waterways of large cities and 20 Epiphany ice holes have been carved out in Yakutia.

In the Sakhalin Region, local cathedrals and churches are holding holiday services. The Procession of the Cross was cancelled this year due to the pandemic. Tents, hot tea and treats are provided at the Epiphany ice holes. In the Magadan Region, the Procession of the Cross was cancelled due to thin ice, while bitter cold wind and the 20 below zero freezing temperatures are not stopping the locals from performing their ritual dunks. In Primorye, the Epiphany plunges are being held without incidents with 19 bathing locations set up. According to the local weather service, the temperature in the region ranged from minus 32 degrees to minus 12 degrees.

An Epiphany camp has been set up in Birobidzhan. Servicemen installed tents so that those celebrating the holiday can warm up and have a change of clothes. In Trans-Baikal, 23 dunking locations have been set up with lifeguards opening the warming-up points and a field kitchen. In Chukotka, the Epiphany dips took place in four populated localities.