Tens of thousands of Russians jumped into holes cut in ice on Monday night and Tuesday morning on the holiday of the Epiphany, when Russian Orthodox believers take part in a baptism ceremony。

　　Russians stripped to swimsuits or loose robes to plunge into cross-shaped holes cut in frozen rivers, believing that the water takes on sacred powers on the holiday, which commemorates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist。

　　The head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, held an all-night service in Moscow's Yelokhovsky cathedral and on Tuesday morning blessed water, which believers collect in bottles, crediting it with healing powers。

　　"I feel like a new man," exclaimed Nikolai Ivanov, 42, as he vigorously toweled himself off after plunging into a cross-shaped ice hole in Zaozyorye, 60 kilometres (37 miles) east of Moscow。

　　Church spokesman Vladimir Legoida warned believers only to jump into the freezing water after consulting a doctor, the RIA Novosti news agency reported, as temperatures fell below 30 degrees Celsius in Siberia。

　　But many believers seemed entirely ignorant of the cold, wearing little but huge smiles as they took part in an ancient rite that has passed on through the generations since the early tsarist times。

　　"The cold is one of the best gifts you can give a Russian," said Dmitry Chulkov, 25, while pulling on his boots after a particularly spectacular dive. "We are all a little crazy," he later admitted。

　　Father Sergei, who oversees the local church, observed the hundreds of brave believers with an air of satisfaction。

　　"This is good for both their bodies and their souls," he said。

　　In Moscow around 58,000 people gathered to jump in ice holes overnight, far exceeding last year's total of 32,000 people, city police spokesman Viktor Biryukov told RIA Novosti。

　　The Church estimates that hundreds of thousands of believers take part in the ceremony across the country each year。

　　Rescue workers at the emergency ministry manned 46 officially sanctioned ice holes in Moscow, where the temperature was minus 15 degrees Celsius on Tuesday morning。

　　为庆祝主显节，数万名俄罗斯东正教信徒参加了冰水洗礼仪式，在本周一晚间和周二清晨跳进冰窟中沐浴冰水。

　　参加庆祝活动的人们身穿泳衣或者宽大的长袍，跳进在冰冻的河面上凿出的十字形冰窟，他们相信在主显节这天，冰水会带有神圣的力量。主显节是为了庆祝施洗约翰为耶稣洗礼而设立的。

　　俄罗斯东正教会大主教祈伟义在莫斯科的叶洛霍夫斯基大教堂主持了通宵仪式，并在周二清晨举行了祝圣水仪式。信徒们把圣水收集在瓶子里，相信它可以洗清罪恶。

　　42岁的尼古拉•伊瓦诺夫用力地擦干身体，大声说道：“我觉得像是浴水重生。”他刚刚跳入十字形冰窟。冰窟位于莫斯科东部60公里(37英里)外的Zaozyorye。

　　俄罗斯国际新闻通讯社报道称，教堂发言人弗拉基米尔·莱戈达提醒教徒们，在跳入冰水前要先咨询医生，因为西伯利亚地区的温度已低于零下30摄氏度。

　　但很多教徒似乎对寒冷毫不在乎，他们脱光了衣服，脸上却浮现出灿烂的笑容。洗礼仪式是一项古老的传统，自早期帝国时代开始一直代代相传至今。

　　25岁的德米特里· 丘尔科夫说：“寒冷是你可以送给俄罗斯人的最棒的礼物了。”当时他刚完成了一次非常壮观的跳水，正在岸上穿靴子。之后他坦承道：“我们都有些疯狂了。”

　　负责监管当地教堂的谢尔盖神父满意地看着数百名勇敢的教徒。

　　他说：“这对人们的身心都有好处。”

　　莫斯科市警方发言人维克多·比约科夫在接受俄罗斯国际新闻通讯社采访时称，该市大约有5.8万人聚在一起跳入冰水沐浴，活动持续了一整晚，人数远远超过了去年的3.2万人次。

　　据教会估计，俄罗斯全国每年有数万名教徒在主显日参加这项活动。

　　俄罗斯紧急情况部在莫斯科46个获批的冰水沐浴场所配备了救援人员。本周二清晨，当地气温还不到零下15摄氏度。