It happened for the forth time. Since 2006 on the Day of Epiphany the Orthodox Church in cooperation with the Russian Emergency Service arranges the swimming in a ice-hole on the Lena River. This year was not exclusion and what is more this time it was the most ever visited event. People, who wished to clear from sins by dipping three times in blessed waters, should stand in long line. Outside temperature was -26C – 32C, but river water was warm, about +6C.
See the photographs taken at 9.00 pm on Jan. 19, 2009.
In 2006 the Yakutian Eparchy of the Russian Orthodox Church revived the old ritual that was ceased in 1917. On the Day of Epiphany, local believers used to have lustration in waters blessed by an Orthodox priest. Traditionally, the action took place in cruciform ice-hole made on the surface of the Lena River . People swam in any weather condition. They believed that they would deserve the forgiveness of sins by diving in sanctified waters three times.
Today’s affusion was conducted in the way as it was before the Revolution. The day before, ice-hole was made in the form of cross, a wood cross was installed on the edge of ice surface and Yakutsk and Lensk diocesan did the ceremony of sanctifying waters. In the next day, action started.
How was it four years ago? And what does this event mean? You might want to check the story published at YakutiaToday.com.
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