For the Epiphany celebrations, Orthodox Christians from Europe are taking the plunge in freezing water today.
Even though temperatures dropped below zero in parts of Russia and Eastern Europe during this period of the year, people continued to celebrate their annual religious holiday.
Some took to the freezing waters alone, others joined in with groups and recalled the baptism of Jesus at the River Jordan.
Some areas had authorities make holes in the ice and build wooden steps so that people could get to the cold water.
Today, Orthodox Christians braved freezing temperatures to plunge into the icy water as part of their annual Epiphany celebrations. Pictured: A woman in a bikini bathes in the water in a hole cut through the ice in the Kyiv sea in Vyshgorod, Ukraine
The water surrounding him is so strong that this Orthodox Christian shatters through the surface water of a Moscow pond.
This underwater photograph captures Orthodox Christians’ traditional baptism each year for the Epiphany.
A woman is dragged from an ice hole in the Kyiv sea in Vyshgorod near Kyiv, Ukraine, earlier today after having plunged beneath the water’s surface
One Ukrainian Orthodox Christian gasps as he navigates through the freezing water of the Dnipro in Kyiv (Ukraine).
A woman is seen entering the freezing waters in Shcherbakov Park in Donetsk, Ukraine, earlier today to celebrate the Epiphany
Close-up of a Russian Orthodox Believer taking a plunge beneath St Petersburg’s icy waters earlier today. His cheeks are puffy as he holds onto his breath.
Two chopped tree trunks are held by a Ukrainian woman as she attempts entry into a body of frozen water for the Orthodox Christian Celebration.
Ukraine: Soldiers were seen taking turns to dip into the frozen pond. To allow for celebrations to continue, a cross was cut.
In Serbia, an entire group of Orthodox Christians took part in a swim in the Danube River in celebration of the Epiphany.
Diplomats and politicians have adopted this tradition in recent times, as President Vladimir Putin has previously participated in it.
Last year, the Russian president defied rumours about the state of his health by taking a dip in icy waters near Moscow.
Today, as part of the Epiphany celebrations, large numbers of Orthodox Christians living in Lithuania splash about in a lake close to Vilnius in their swimming costumes.
Today, a woman enters the freezing waters in Lviv to commemorate the Epiphany. Many believe the water blessing for this annual event has special healing properties.
Before the Epiphany Celebrations, the head of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate Metropolitan of Kiev (center) blesses a water body in Kiev, Ukraine.
A young woman dressed in a yellow bikini braces for a dip in cold water at Ste George Church Alchevsk. This is in the Lugansk area of Ukraine.
After he emerged from the freezing waters of Alchevsk in Ukraine, a man can be seen closing his eyes and water pouring over his shoulders.
An earlier photo shows a woman taking a swim in an icehole near St Petersburg. A crowd watches through orange bars.
As the two emerge from the water of the Moraca River, Podgorica (Montenegro), earlier this morning, a boy can be seen gasping for breath while he holds onto a man.
During the early hours of this morning, a woman can be seen receiving a helping hand out of the freezing waters in Domodedovo, Moscow region, Russia
As a Serbian Orthodox believer, he carries a wooden Cross as he bathes in Lake Vlasina’s cold water earlier this morning to participate in the Epiphany celebrations
He looked strong and healthy as he crossed his legs repeatedly in tight, blue swimming trunks.
The video showed Putin getting in a pool with a cross shape to perform the ritual opposite an impressive cross of ice.
“This is a custom.” Dmitry Peskov spoke at that time to confirm the statement. Dmitry Peskov was speaking on behalf of Russian Orthodox Christians who had been cutting holes for centuries to dip into icy rivers and lakes to commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ in Jordan.
Eastern Christianity’s Epiphany is a celebration of the baptism of Jesus.
An Epiphany priest dips his holy cross in the Svarzhyn Yar Spring’s freezing water earlier today, during an annual celebration of the Epiphany.
Three people take an Orthodox Priest into Lake Vlasina to celebrate the Epiphany.
A man kisses the small cross made of wood at St George Spring, Sudak, Crimea.
Today, as he emerged from the freezing waters at Kronstadt Naval Base near St Petersburg in Russia, an Orthodox Russian Christian flicks his head back and forth.
See a whole bunch of Orthodox Serbs gathered before jumping in the Danube River, near Belgrade, to celebrate their Epiphany celebrations
The background is dominated by a Russian Naval Ship. This Orthodox Christian smooths his hair using his hands, having been submerged in the cold waters.
As part of the Epiphany festivities, a woman from Rostov-on Don covers her eyes while she plunges into the waters.
An older man is seen emerging from an icehole within a reservoir frozen in Karlivka in Ukraine.
An earlier Ukrainian soldier was seen in freezing water at a frozen lake to commemorate the baptism of Jesus, an Orthodox Christian tradition.
Some Western Christian churches also celebrate the Epiphany religious holiday as Three Kings Day. This marks the return of three wise men to Jesus, and concludes the Christmas season.
According to the Julian calendar, the Russian Orthodox Church observes this holiday.
While some countries may celebrate Epiphany in January 6th, others observe it each January 19. In the Orthodox Church’s tradition, Epiphany is observed every year on January 19, the date Jesus was baptized into the faith.
Orthodox Christians celebrate baptism by taking a dip in the water outdoors.
To allow custom in Russia or other Eastern European countries where there is ice, it must be made in advance.
You can see a group Orthodox believers as they braved the elements, and swim in sub-zero temperatures.
A thermal-wearing supervisor lends a helping hand to this woman as she emerges from an icehole near St Petersburg’s Peter and Paul Fortress.
This man, holding his nose, plunges beneath the frozen waves of a lake in Kyrgyzstan’s Pokrovka earlier this morning.
After participating in Epiphany festivities, a woman grabs a handrail as she comes out of the cold waters in Kyrgyzstan.
Two Russian ladies are seen taking the plunge beneath the frozen water earlier this morning, in Russia’s Khanty-Mansi region.
An Orthodox priest holds a golden cross down into the water of the Kara-Balta river near the village of Sosnovka, Russia
As he comes out of the freezing water, a man from Lviv (Ukraine) shakes off his cold while participating in Epiphany festivities