Thousands of Russians celebrating the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany, where worshippers bathe in the icy waters of frozen lakes and rivers, have been forced to cancel their traditional ceremonies due to unusually warm winter temperatures.

In Serbia's Orthodox Christian community, the feast of the Epiphany is marked by the traditional "swim for the Holy Cross." This year, 100 competitors took part in the race in the Vlasina River in southern Serbia,

You could say that the winter chill and icy waters were counterbalanced by the warmth of prayer and the blessings for that water. “It’s the baptism of our Lord on Jan 6. We bless the waters, homes and people in the homes,