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Rabat – Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Friday plunged into icy lake waters to observe Epiphany, a Christian feast day.
Epiphany is a major holiday in Orthodox Christianity observing the baptism of Jesus.
With the temperature hovering around -5c, the 65-year old president has taken a dip in icy waters of the Seliger Lake, 350-kilometer north-west of Moscow. The Russian leader has been spotted as he was surrounded by Orthodox priests.
Vladimir has joined the list of Russians who plunged themselves into an icy water “blessed by an Orthodox priest” during Epiphany week.
Dmitry Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, said that the Russian leader has already performed this ritual on the Epiphany previously, but this year marks the first time Vladimir had done it publicly.
The ritual was aired on Russian television stations as he was approaching an icy waterhole.
Russian authorities install thousands of icy baths for believers across Russia, including in Siberia where temperatures hover around -30 c.
