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Russian Christians take icy plunge

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Christopher DiesJanuary 19, 2014

Orthodox Christians in Moscow braved minus 17 degree weather on Saturday night and Sunday morning to celebrate Epiphany. Devotees immersed themselves in icy cold water in city parks and squares in an ancient ritual that commemorates the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River, marked by the Russian Orthodox Church on January 19. By bathing on this day, believers symbolically wash off their

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