Annual Ritual Dipping in Chilly Weather

On Sunday, January 19, 2025, five of us made the trip to New Chersonese in Sevastopol for one of Russian Orthodoxy’s most important feast days, namely the Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan.

Dipping in icy cold water is a very old tradition in Russia, going back to the baptism of Prince Vladimir in the Black Sea at Chersonese in 988. Many members of the prince's entourage also received holy Baptism in Chersonese.

Mass baptisms began to be held in other large cities of Rus'. Everywhere, from ancient cities to distant graveyards, the prince ordered the erection of churches.

This year, we attended the celebrations in the newly renovated basilica of St. Vladimir that was crowded with believers in both the lower and upper churches of this magnificent basilica.

The services were led by Metropolitan Tikhon of Simferopol and Crimea.

Each year on this day, believers attend the Sunday liturgy and take part in the procession and blessing of the people with holy water.

At the conclusion of the Eucharistic liturgy, Tikhon led the congregation in a procession going from the basilica, first to the dipping pools in lower New Chersonese, and then proceeding down through Old Chersonese to the Black Sea where many other believers were dipping in the chilly waters.

Metropolitan Tikhon himself blessed the water and the bathers from a large Coast Guard vessel.