Epiphany: Christians Celebrate Baptism Of Jesus Christ In River Jordan

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A Russian Orthodox priest blesses the icy water on Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near TV Tower in Moscow, Russia. Across Russia, the devout and the daring are observing the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany by immersing themselves in frigid water through holes cut through the ice of lakes and rivers.

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Orthodox priests conduct a religion service blessing the ice water of the Tura river during a traditional Epiphany celebration as the temperature is about -5 degrees (23 degrees Fahrenheit) at the Holy Trinity Monastery in Tyumen, Russia.

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Christians from the Ethiopian Orthodox church celebrate the first day of the festival of Timkat, or Epiphany, in the capital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The annual festival celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.

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Orthodox Christian pilgrims collect water from the Jordan River during a baptism ceremony as part of the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany at Qasr el Yahud, near the West Bank town of Jericho. The site is traditionally believed by many to be the place where Jesus was baptized.

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A Orthodox Christian pilgrim immerses himself in the Jordan River during a baptism ceremony as part of the Orthodox Feast of the Epiphany at Qasr el Yahud, near the West Bank town of Jericho.

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Believers bathe in the icy water during a traditional Epiphany at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Ostankino near TV Tower in Moscow, Russia.

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A Russian paratrooper crosses himself as other line up to bathe in cold water during a traditional Epiphany near Novorossiysk, Krasnodar region of Russia.

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Lithuanian Orthodox believers bathe in the icy water shortly after midnight during a traditional Epiphany celebration in a lake near Vilnius, Lithuania. Water that is blessed by a cleric on Epiphany is considered holy and pure until next year's celebration, and is believed to have special powers of protection and healing.

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Rescue workers observe a Russian Orthodox believer dipping in the icy water during a traditional Epiphany celebration in St. Petersburg, Russia. Thousands of Russian Orthodox Church followers plunged into icy rivers and ponds across the country to mark Epiphany, cleansing themselves with water deemed holy for the day. The temperature in St. Petersburg was -7 C (19 F).

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Rescue workers observe Russian Orthodox believers dipping in the icy water during a traditional Epiphany celebration in St. Petersburg, Russia.