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Victor said he was not a morzh, or walrus, as health-conscious fans of winter swimming are called in Russian.

"This is not morzhevaniye [ice swimming]," he says. "This is a holy act. You do it with faith in God, and He strengthens your health and spirit. You immerse yourself once again into the holiness of everything that surrounds him."

Orthodox Christianity does not oppose things material to things spiritual, but instead emphasizes the wholeness of creation. For this reason, blessings of natural substances—which may appear strange to some modern Westerners—are an integral part of the Eastern Christian mindset.

This explains in part why immersing oneself in water—a Christian version of an ancient purification ritual—has proved to be such a persistent tradition in Russia, despite the nation's unfavorable climate.

In addition, a widespread superstitious belief in rituals also accounts for the popularity of the water ceremony. On Epiphany, Orthodox churches across Russia are packed with people who at other times rarely set foot inside them, lining up with jars and canisters to receive holy water.

At the river in New Jerusalem, Nikolai Gubarev, 17, was sure that the water he carried in two canisters would "help someone who is sick or exorcise devils." He was not certain, however, whether it would have any effect without a prayer to God. "Perhaps it would still help, but less," he said. "Of course there has to be an internal belief, an internal participation in the process."

Unlike Gubarev, who said he was "not yet ready" to take a dip in the river, Margarita Cherkasova, 61, joked that she was the oldest swimmer around.

"It feels wonderful! Go try yourself!" Cherkasova exclaimed, drying herself with a towel after emerging from the river. "Those who believe in God have no fear!"

Copyright © 2002 ENI

The Moscow Times has a slightly different version of this story written by Andrei Zolotov. It is accompanied by a great photo essay from the Epiphany festivities.

A Saint Petersburg University site on the Patriarch Nikon has an online tour of New Jerusalem featuring an overview map and individual pages and pictures for various sections of the monastery.

See more Christianity Today articles available in the Russia World Report and Eastern Orthodoxy.

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January (Web-only) 2002, Vol. 46