Ukrainian & Russian Orthodox Epiphany.

Or, as I sometimes refer to it, Insanity as a Spectator Sport.

My wife told me about this event two years ago, but I guess you really have to be there to believe it.

While living in NJ, I remember many times seeing the "Polar Bears" taking an icy swim in the Atlantic on NYC TV. I seemed to remember that it was Russian emigrees who partook of this activity. But on TV, it always seem to be just a few "kooks" doing it. And for one reason or another, I don't remember any mention of a religious aspect to this activity. Maybe TV didn't like the idea of associating religion and swimming in icy weather. Might shed a negative light on religion, I guess. The religious event is the Russian Orthodox Epiphany (probably Ukrainian Orthodox too). The temperature Saturday, a disappointingly mild 26F. Two years ago it was -6F.

I'm sure that in NYC it probably was a rather small happening. Not here...



Setting up the fireworks:





And the religious aspect:



Later, President Yushenko came and took a dip in the icy water himself. Don't have a picture of that, though. Anything to appeal to the religious voters...