Russian Orthodox Epiphany is observed a week after the western Christian church, as the Orthodox one follows the Julian rather than the Gregorian calendar. It is believed that everyone can be cleansed of sins on this day.

People go to church to have water blessed as it is believed to have a special curing effect on the day. They fill bottles with the holy water – it'll be drunk on an empty stomach when they wake up – for optimal spiritual healing and health-giving.

Orthodox Christians believe that all water on this day – be it from the tap, shower, a pond or a lake becomes Jesus' baptismal water.  Many are taking the plunge in sub-zero temperatures, not only to cleanse themselves but to take advantage of the water's healing properties. It's believed no-one has ever become ill after an Epiphany ice-swim.

Thousands of Orthodox Christians even submerge themselves in the river Jordan in Israel, where Jesus was baptized more than two thousand years ago.

“The importance of the holy water is actually a pre-Christian Slavic tradition, so it is much more emphasized in Russia than in the West,” Lara McCoy-Roslof, Deputy Editor of Russia Profile magazine, an expert on Orthodox Christianity explained in her interview to Russia Today.