Traditional winter swimming in Russia // Jumping into the ice hole w/ @ZacktheRussian

In Russia, we have a tradition of jumping into the ice hole to celebrate the Epiphany. My friend @Zack the Russian decided to take a dip in the ice hole himself… So in this video we see this interesting spectacle and try to find out WHY people do this when it's minus 15°C (5 °F) outside! This tradition is associated with the baptism of Jesus, which Russian Orthodox believers celebrate on January 19. However, the Russian Orthodox Church says that there is no such tradition in their charter, so even non-religious people can dive into the hole. Besides ice swimming there’s a tradition of drawing water that has been blessed by the priest. People wash with this water and believe that it keeps them in good health. So this is just a peculiar combination of church traditions and people’s desire to have fun in the cold Russian winter. I hope you like this video! Zack's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqEjVpJcXig4hdPnXUxetpw Become a channel sponsor on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWf43GShTqMDdJN9pICYd2Q/join Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/NatashasAdventures PayPal: https://paypal.me/natsadv Support me on https://www.buymeacoffee.com/natsadv BTC: bc1qaj96sz20anndzptheez2r7v2wpptrsrntv6zgf ETC/Other: 0x1C7A5d610bAAc5DFdF4c4D542e579D85C5a0F458 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natsadv *About myself* Hi! My name is Natasha, I live in the Far East of Russia in the city of Khabarovsk, but originally I'm from a small town Spassk-Dalny in Primorsky Krai. Currently I'm studying Linguistics in the university. On this channel I make videos about life in Russia, our traditions and my traveling in Russian cities. Welcome, and let's explore Russia together! #yeahrussia