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Russians defy frost

Vladimir Radyuhin

MOSCOW: Thousands of Russians shrugged off record frost gripping this country for the past few days to dip in ice holes on rivers and ponds. As temperature dipped to minus 30 Centigrade, over 2,000 persons plunged in freezing waters in Moscow on Thursday to celebrate Orthodox Epiphany, a holiday commemorating the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan. The same ritual was observed across the country. Even in the Sakha-Yakutia republic, where the temperature hit minus 52 C, believers and "walrusses," as ice-swimmers are called in Russia, took a dip. The number of bathers was so big that local authorities organised a bus shuttle service to the swimming place on the Lena River. The ice had to be smashed again every few minutes to prevent the hole from freezing again. The Moscow weather has set an all-time record this week for the longest spell of temperature below minus 30 C and the Russian weather service said the frosts are likely to stay till the end of the month.

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