Thousands of Odessans traditionally bathed in the icy sea on January 19, took part in baptismal swimming.
According to the Rescue and Diving Service of the Odessa City Council, as of 15:00 Wednesday, most people (about 2 thousand people) were swimming on the beach "Zolotoy Bereg" in the Kyiv district. On the beaches of Langeron and Arcadia, in Luzanovka and on Morvokzale, a thousand Odessa residents plunged into the water.
On the beaches of Odessa, 45 employees of the Rescue and Diving Service, doctors, employees of the State Emergency Service, as well as volunteers of public organizations are on duty.
According to the Hydrometeorological Center of the Black and Azov Seas, the sea water temperature in Odessa today is 3 degrees, the air temperature is between 0 and 2 degrees Celsius, and at night it is minus 3.
We note that the representatives of the authorities did not lag behind the ordinary Odessites. Oleg Radkovskii, deputy chairman of the Odesa Regional Council, was the strongest and healthiest of the regional leaders, who was the first to bathe in the icy sea water and congratulate the people of Odessa on the Epiphany.
Later, other leaders followed his example - in particular, the mayor of Odessa, Gennady Trukhanov, his deputies and deputies of his party "Trust things" traditionally bathed in the Creches Sea.
"Dear Odessans, I sincerely congratulate you on the Epiphany! Peace, health and God's blessing to all of us!" he wrote.
At the same time, we note that Orthodoxy does not approve of bathing in ice water on Baptism. In particular, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church notes that bathing in open water bodies on Epiphany Day is not an ancient Ukrainian tradition, as such a custom was never established in our country until the 1990s.
Also, the church calls the erroneous opinion that bathing in ice water "washes away sins", arguing that the act of immersion in water has nothing to do with a holiday without conscious repentance of sins.
"The Church does not prohibit diving in winter water, it is everyone's right and choice. But we urge you not to consider this action ecclesiastical, connected with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord," the press service emphasized.
According to the church, the best thing a believer can do on the occasion of the Epiphany is to come to the church service, pray and confess.
