Tens of thousands of Russians in and around Moscow will dive into ice holes on Tuesday, when the Orthodox Church celebrates the baptism of Christ, with temperatures in forecast to plunge below minus 20 Celsius.
Honoring an old Russian tradition, believers will dive into blessed holes, usually made in the shape of a cross, in the ice of lakes and rivers to mark baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.
The ceremony, symbolizing the cleansing of sins and the healing of illnesses, is also popular among nonbelievers.
The emergencies ministry has published a list of some 30 proposed bathing places in the capital and its environs and says more than 60,000 are expected to dive in after midnight and during the day on Tuesday.
Weather forecasters said air temperatures will fall below minus 20 Celsius overnight, rising to around minus 16 on Tuesday afternoon.
Water on Epiphany is believed to become holy and to have healing properties, but the ministry said it has dispatched 265 rescuers to be on duty near the ice holes.
The ministry expects Svyatoye Ozero, or Holy Lake, in Moscow's eastern Kosino district to be the most popular bathing spot, with more than 17,000 people predicted to take a dip in its waters.
A district official said the lake, the largest in the area, is visited by thousands of believers on Epiphany every year.
"This place is surrounded by a lot of legends. It was the most popular place for Epiphany bathing in Moscow last year. I think the situation will be similar this year," Andrei Ivanov said.
Legend has it that there was a wooden church surrounded by thick forest which sank into the ground accompanied by sounds of spiritual singing to form a lake deterring the advance of Tatar hordes.
Many people believe any water - even from the taps on the kitchen sink - poured or bottled by Christians on Epiphany becomes holy. The water sanctified in churches is often stored by believers for long periods.
MOSCOW, January 18 (RIA Novosti)
