Bathing in the ice hole at Epiphany can be called a popular tradition. Often so many people gather near the font different ages that seems like anyone can handle it. However, we must not forget that immersion in cold water, especially unprepared, threatens with hypothermia, which can turn into very serious consequences up to a stroke. In order not to risk your health, you should prepare for Epiphany bathing in advance. The therapist told the TAM.BY team how to do it medical center"Kravira" Valentina Kovsh.

Is it worth jumping into the hole at all?

In my opinion, you need to immediately raise the question: why does a person do this? - explains the expert. - If he does not harden and does it just for the sake of showing off, he should not be let into the hole, for the body this can be a sentence. The minimum risk is a cold up to pneumonia, the maximum is serious hypothermia, due to which you will have to call an ambulance.

First of all, it is worth remembering that people with diseases of the cardiovascular, urinary, bronchopulmonary systems, gastrointestinal tract, or experiencing problems with pressure, first need to go for a consultation with a doctor. The same applies to those who have problems with the spine: for example, osteochondrosis or osteoarthritis. It is also undesirable to allow children and the elderly, whose bodies are the least prepared for such shocking conditions, to the ice hole.

Where to begin?

A few months before a real dive, you need to start the hardening procedures. Best of all - in the summer. By the way, this is generally good for health: the body learns to adapt to extreme conditions, thermoregulation, pressure, endurance, muscle tone, blood circulation and metabolism are improved.

It must be understood that hardening is not just a preparation for something, it is a personal attitude of a person. If he decides to seriously engage in hardening, he should visit a doctor, undergo examinations in order to choose a form and program. Classes are held gradually, a person gradually gets used to the cold temperature. Ideally, this should take at least six months, or even a whole year.

If you just need to plunge into ice-cold water once a year with minimal health consequences, then turn to traditional hardening exercises.

The first way is water hardening. It can be dousing or wiping, a contrast shower, bathing. You can start, for example, with classic douches. You can also go to the river and take a dip there. But the air temperature should not be lower than 15 degrees. The main thing is not to overdo it. Bathing is worth as long as you feel cheerfulness, not chills. As you get used to cold water, the duration of the sessions can be increased.

Also go barefoot more often. This exercise stimulates many points that are on the feet. This strengthens the immune system and the body copes better with colds.

Aerotherapy, that is, long walks in the fresh air, may seem like something frivolous, but in this way the skin receptors and the nerve endings of the mucous membrane are cooled. This not only helps to improve the thermoregulation of the body and strengthens the immune system, but also improves the mental and emotional state.

Another way is heliotherapy, or hardening by the sun. Here you just need to sunbathe, taking precautions. Don't be in the sun too hot weather. Best time for sunbathing before 10 am and after 5 pm. This procedure strengthens the body, improves blood circulation.

Remember, if the idea to dive into the hole came suddenly and there is no time for full-scale hardening, you can try to set yourself up with at least minimal means. For example, wipe yourself with a towel soaked in cold water. Either take a contrast shower or go out on the balcony in a T-shirt and shorts in the morning. But do not forget that the benefits of this will not be the greatest.

When hardening, it is very important to be attuned to the process. If you feel physically unwell or just not in the mood, then it is better to postpone everything for the next time.

Practicing before swimming in the hole

If before Epiphany you want to test yourself in cold water, and not in the shower, there are several options for you.

The first, very obvious, but not very safe, is to go to the reservoir. Of course, it’s better not to go alone, it is advisable to find like-minded walruses who do this professionally and will be able to control you.

Another way is immersion in a font with ice water. Of course, this is not comparable to swimming in sub-zero temperatures, but to some extent it can prepare you.

You can find these fonts in Minsk baths and saunas. For example, in Robinson Club or Evenings.

What to do before swimming in the hole and after it

Firstly, it is better to give up alcohol, both before the ice hole and after - it can hit the heart.

If a person takes alcohol before jumping into the hole or immediately after, it may seem to him that he has warmed up, he is warm and even hot, although the body will only get worse.

Secondly, choose comfortable clothes and shoes, with the minimum amount buttons and fasteners, so as not to waste extra time fastening. Don't forget a large terry towel that can absorb as much moisture as possible.

Thirdly, before meeting with cold water, it is worth warming up the body and dispersing the blood. To do this, it is enough to squat.

Undress before bathing should be gradual, leaving shoes at the end. Before diving, you can stand on the snow for a while so that the body catches the signal and begins preparation. There is also no need for a decisive and confident jump into the water - you can start by rubbing your hands.

Already in the water, do not forget that it is better not to wet your head - this can cause arrhythmia. And it is advisable to stay in the hole for no longer than 2-3 minutes.

After you get out on the ice, immediately wipe your body with a terry towel, put on dry clothes and pour yourself hot tea. It is advisable, while you come to your senses, not to stand still.

In order to more or less normally prepare for swimming in the hole, it is worth tempering. There really are no other options. You can't prepare to fall from high altitude there will still be injuries. So it is with swimming. No big lunch fish fat Or alcohol won't help. The only thing that will help you quickly recover is warm tea before and after the ice hole, clothes, a heating pad and a warm room.

Are you going to plunge into the hole? Tell in the comments!

Every year, Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate one of the most significant holidays - the Baptism of the Lord. This holiday is the final and third in a row in the Christmas cycle, and is also one of the twelve most important religious holidays. Today we will talk about the history of the holiday and how to prepare for the ritual of swimming in the hole today.

One of the great holidays is the Epiphany of the Lord. This holiday is one of the few that is celebrated annually and its date does not change. In 2020, the Baptism of the Lord will be celebrated on the 13th day after Christmas, namely on January 19, on Saturday.

History of Baptism

After long wanderings in the desert, according to the Gospel, the prophet John came to the Jordan River, in which the Jews traditionally performed purification rites. Here he began to baptize people in the waters of the river, telling them about baptism and about repentance.

When the Messiah was 30 years old, he also came to the Jordan River and asked the prophet to baptize him. After the ceremony, the heavens opened up, and the Holy Spirit descended on the young Jesus in the form of a dove. Then the words of the Lord were heard, who said that Jesus was his son.

The event itself pointed John and all those who were at that moment by the river to the Divine dignity of the baptism of Jesus. History says that it was then that the Holy Trinity was revealed to the people: God - by voice, God the Son - Jesus and the Holy Spirit - a descended dove ..

When did the tradition of bathing at Epiphany in the hole appear?

Bathing in an ice hole for baptism is nothing but a folk tradition, and it has absolutely nothing to do with worship or the gospel. In Moscow, this tradition became widespread only in the 90s. Church ministers declare that the Orthodox do not have such an obligation as immersion in a winter hole. This is something from a series of extreme sports, personal perseverance to prove that a person can fight nature even in such harsh conditions.

This tradition exists today in Russia, Ukraine and other countries. In Greece, for example, the Bishop on this day blesses the sea, throws the cross, reading a prayer far into the sea, and Christians dive after him in order to get the cross. This is also a folk custom.

In Russia, a Jordan is cut down for Epiphany - a hole in the form of a cross, after which the water is blessed in it. For centuries, the church consecrated the water in the springs, and then the common people took water from the font. Some wanted to testify to their strength in faith, and they decided to plunge into the hole. This is where the tradition began.

How to prepare a hole?

It should be noted that the ice-hole for mass bathing is prepared by specially trained teams. The bathing place is cleared of snow, and then a cross is cut out of the ice using a chainsaw and safety ropes. Blocks of cut ice are sent either further along the river or taken out with special equipment.

People living in the private sector and having a pool cut a hole directly in their pool, also using a chainsaw. You will learn more about how to prepare a hole in the video.

From what time can you swim in the hole for Epiphany 2020

Mass bathing takes place in the evening of the 18th and early in the morning of the 19th. However, before you try your hand at fighting nature, you need to attend a service in the temple, as well as take communion. After the evening service on January 18, you can already swim. The ideal time interval is 00-1:30 on the night of the 18th to the 19th. It is believed that during this period healing properties Epiphany water is the most powerful and able to heal any ailment. Bathing in big cities take place until lunch on the 19th, as there are a lot of people who come.

Baptism swimming in the hole, video

How to prepare for swimming in the hole?

Doctors recommend getting ready for swimming in the ice-hole long in advance. Swimming in icy water in deep frosts is a huge stress for the body, and so that your body does not fail, you need to carefully prepare and harden. It is better to start preparing in the summer, gradually day after day, doing a douche.

2 days before Epiphany, you need to start the morning with a contrast shower. Be sure to exercise before taking a shower. This procedure is recommended to be repeated several times a day.

The day before bathing, the stay under a contrast shower should be increased. It is advisable that you stand under cold water completely for 5-7 minutes, but no more, and the water should not be colder than 15 degrees.

Swimming in an ice hole should be approached with all responsibility, and even if you are a person of deep faith, but have health problems from the list below, then refuse to dive in Jordan.

You should not dive if you have the following health problems:

  • heart diseases;
  • obesity;
  • hypertension;
  • epilepsy;
  • arrhythmia;
  • tendency to convulsions;
  • diseases of the respiratory organs;
  • private sinusitis, sinusitis and frontal sinusitis;
  • asthma;
  • skin diseases (eg eczema and psoriasis);
  • prostatitis;
  • gynecological diseases;
  • diabetes;
  • cataract;
  • thyrotoxicosis;
  • neurotic diseases.

Also, Epiphany bathing will not benefit those who suffer from insomnia.

If you still decide to swim, despite all the prohibitions, then you must understand that you only take responsibility for your life. Eat a hearty meal a couple of hours before swimming. Take dry clothes, a towel and a thermos of hot tea with you.

Immediately upon arrival, you can not plunge sharply, you should cool down gradually. First, take off your outer clothing, after a few minutes your shoes, then undress to the waist and only then proceed to bathing.

What do girls and women swim in the hole in, and what do men wear?

There are no special restrictions on clothes for bathing in the hole for Epiphany for either men or women. Most of the fair sex bathe in bathing suits or nightgowns, and the representatives of the stronger half in swimming trunks.


Go to the hole barefoot or in shoes?

Unlike clothes while swimming, do not forget about shoes. You need to approach the ice hole in non-slip and easily removable shoes so as not to freeze your feet while you move towards the bathing place. In order to reach the ice-hole, woolen socks and special rubber slippers are also suitable. When walking to the bathing area, remember that the path is likely to be slippery.

How to swim in an ice hole: how many times to plunge, do you need to plunge headlong or not?

The tradition of bathing in an ice-hole involves three-fold dipping with your head. However, it is best to dive up to the neck without wetting your head, this will avoid constriction of the vessels of the brain. It is also worth refraining from jumping into the water, this can lead to shock from loss of temperature from the cold.

Can Muslims swim in the hole at Epiphany?

Even though the christening Orthodox holiday The church does not regulate the behavior of representatives of other religions in any way. If you are a Muslim and want to take part in the bathing at Epiphany, visit the imam and ask him this question. The Church does not forbid representatives of the Muslim religion to swim in the hole.

Do Catholics bathe in the hole at Epiphany?

As mentioned above, Orthodox Church does not prohibit bathing at Epiphany for representatives of other religions, so if you are a Catholic and want to join Orthodox tradition, then feel free to go to specially designated places for swimming.

How many days do they bathe in the hole for Epiphany?

As mentioned above, immersion in Jordan takes place on the night of the 18th to the 19th. In fact, they bathe in the hole for 2 days: January 18 and 19.

Is it useful to swim in the hole for Epiphany?

Each person, before deciding to take such a step, needs to understand that bathing at Epiphany is nothing more than just a tradition and has nothing to do with the Gospel, as mentioned above, it has nothing. If you do not harden for a year, but decide to tickle your nerves and get your dose of adrenaline, then it is important to understand that an unprepared body can respond to such a temperature drop with diseases, and in some cases people have a stroke. Therefore, having weighed only all the pros and cons, go to conquer the Jordan. The benefits of such an event are very doubtful, you are unlikely to be able to “wash away” sins, but it will be enough to earn health problems in full.

For many, the Epiphany holiday is just a tradition of swimming in an ice hole, but do not forget about its true meaning. Only faith in God can heal!

Having become a tradition over the centuries, swimming in the hole made in the pond during the ancient Christian holiday of Epiphany raises many questions among people of different confessions and non-believers. This is really a way of physical and spiritual purification of a person, or a beautiful tribute to fashion. What happens at the time of immersion in an ice font and who will benefit from such a procedure.

Traditions of the Feast of the Epiphany

Baptism on January 19 and the very tradition of dipping into an ice font dates back to 988, since the introduction of Kievan Rus Christianity. According to the biblical story, Jesus, at his personal request, was baptized on this very day. During the ceremony by John the Baptist, Jesus was in the waters of the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit descended on him in the form of a dove and a voice from above, proclaiming him the son of God. This event became the basis of the holiday. The very word baptize in translation from ancient Greek means directly immersion in water. It is believed that God made holy water with his baptism, that is, it has special healing properties. Considering that the water Old Testament considered the basis of all life, the importance of this tradition becomes clear.

After Divine Liturgy water is blessed in all churches. At this time of the Blessing of Water, all water elements are also endowed with miraculous qualities. For the Epiphany bathing in the cruciform hole, crowded processions are made, in Christianity called procession to Jordan. It is believed that a body washed with holy water, like a purified soul that believes in the Savior, will receive health and blessings, and will join the sacrament of the Holy Trinity. In addition to the Christian overtones, the tradition of such bathing has been known since the time of the ancient Scythians and earlier pagan rites. In this way, they were initiated into warriors, healed, tempered newborns to adapt to the harsh climate.

Features of swimming in the hole

On the day of the Feast of the Epiphany, for accessibility to everyone, specially equipped in accordance with all safety rules, ice holes are specially arranged in the reservoirs in the form of a cross. After the consecration of the hole, people can draw water, wash themselves, and the most determined ones can take a dip. If the body is relatively adapted to cold, then great importance has a mood before bathing. The living structure of water is able to change under the influence of certain information, therefore, plunging into the hole, you need to tune in only to positive influence. Directly during immersion in the human body, many processes take place at lightning speed:

  • under short-term exposure to cold, the cerebral cortex and central nervous system are mobilized, which is positive for the body;
  • a stressful situation leads to a jump in immunity, pain relief, removal of inflammation, spasms, edema;
  • released under the influence of cold water internal forces, body temperature can reach 40 ° for a few seconds, causing the death of pathogenic microbes, viruses, cells;
  • the thermal conductivity of water is 28 times greater than air, which gives a huge hardening effect.

Considering the listed advantages of the procedure of dipping in cold water, we can confidently talk about its benefits. Despite the fact that the special physical training in principle, such bathing is not required, in some cases there may be a number of difficult moments. Without fear, official medicine recommends dipping to middle-aged men and women without complex pathologies. In any case, the sacrament of bathing at Baptism is a deeply individual decision for each person.

How to properly bathe in Epiphany

In addition to the appropriate mood, such bathing requires compliance certain rules helping to conduct the ceremony correctly and safely. The main point, especially in case of mass holding, is the presence of a specially equipped hole. The ice-hole should be arranged at a water depth of not more than 1.8 m, well fenced to avoid accidental falls, equipped with steps and handrails for descent. Everyone who wants to plunge into the hole should have a swimsuit or swimming trunks, a warm bathrobe, a towel, a set of dry clothes, underwear, slippers or woolen socks.

Before starting, it is recommended to warm up a little, for example, to go for a run, do squats or simple exercises. In this case, the body should not be sweaty, but only hot. To prevent a sharp narrowing of the vessels of the brain, it is not necessary to wet the head, but it is better to dip only on the neck. You can’t jump into the hole, you have to start diving from your feet. Swimming is not recommended, after 3 dipping it is better to immediately go out and not be in the water for more than 1 minute. Immediately after bathing, you need to rub yourself with a towel, put on dry linen and clothes without delay. Often a towel may not even come in handy, as the skin dries out instantly. But following church rules when swimming in the Epiphany hole, you need to plunge headlong three times. At the same time, there should be a short sincere prayer addressed to God, according to the Orthodox, this charges the water with tremendous power.

Bathing contraindications

It is strictly forbidden to use immediately before bathing and after it. alcoholic drinks. Alcohol in the blood has a bad effect on the state of thermoregulation of the body, sometimes with unforeseen consequences. Under its influence, the vessels dilate, increasing the flow of heat. Some time after use, a person may feel a surge of heat, but then, the opposite effect occurs abruptly and you can seriously catch a cold. Also, you can not smoke, as blood circulation is disturbed. Immediately after dipping, it is better to drink herbal decoction or hot tea. Swimming in a cold hole on a full or empty stomach is harmful.

With the obvious benefits of Epiphany bathing, the category of contraindications includes the presence of chronic or acute diseases. These include disorders of the cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous systems, as well as all kinds of inflammation of the genitourinary system, nasopharynx, otitis media. It is not recommended to plunge into the ice hole if you have suffered injuries of encephalitis, epilepsy and other complex pathologies. To avoid harm and get only benefit, it is recommended to consult a doctor.

Archpriest Vitaly Shinkar,Cleric of St. George's Church in Chisinau:

Archpriest Vitaly Shinkar

The tradition is quite humanly understandable - this is a kind of act, an opportunity, plunging into the icy water, to show one's valiant prowess.

In the language of contemporary art, this actionism- a person solves his religious problem through some dashing action.

I think this behavior is characteristic of all types of religiosity, but this is precisely a pagan phenomenon that has to do with primitive human notions about the relationship between heaven and earth. A person believes that there is some kind of technology, within which faith is not required, but which allows you to storm the heavens with the effort of your prowess.

In general, bathing in springs is a widely cultivated tradition. Today, in all pilgrimage centers, monasteries, there are announcements on which it is written in red ink: "Bathing in the springs." What this means, what benefits it brings, no one really knows, but this tradition is gradually beginning to spread outside of Russia.

Once I saw how on Mount Athos, at the source of St. Athanasius, a bus of Russian pilgrims stopped, and all the men ran to dip naked. The Greeks passed by, for whom everything that happened, of course, was a serious experience. And now, having seen enough of the Russian reality, both in Moldova and in other countries, all these bathing and dipping have also begun.

This is a pagan approach to reality, when a person enters into a relationship with Heaven through some kind of deified matter and materialized objects.

A kind of mechanical piety - undressed, plunged into the water - and that's it, you are already all spiritual. It's like an initiation - to experience cold, heat, pain. It's like intravenous calcium chloride - it doesn't heal, but you feel the heat with every cell. And so these traditions remain and are even cultivated.

Unfortunately, if some tradition exists in our everyday life for more than 20-30 years, it becomes almost a dogmatic element. But we must be honest, the tradition of bathing is not a church one, and we need to “protest” a little towards it, that is, remove the pagan plaque.

Unfortunately, the attitude towards baptismal bathing within the Church itself is not uniform - someone practices bathing inside the parish, even with the participation of priests, someone is categorically against it, someone looks at everything that happens as folk tradition. But we need to develop a common church position, and then, at least within the Church, we will be able to honestly and unanimously talk about baptismal bathing.

In the meantime, we have this: one said that it’s good to plunge into the hole, another called bathing a great Russian tradition, the third - the Jewish-Masonic heresy, and the fourth blamed damned America for everything.

As a result, the bathing events taking place today are a kind of Orthodox extreme, to which everyone has their own attitude.

“Brothers and sisters walruses! Do you love Christ?

Priest Sergiy Kruglov: Attempts by both the “right” and “left” to bring uniformity and order in the matter of bathing at Baptism, to plant one or another point of view (“This is paganism!” Or: “This is primordial Orthodoxy, only demons are afraid of holy water!”) grow from one root - the Soviet, from the lack of a free and conscious attitude to life, from the desire to once and for all say, "how it is right."

Life, on the other hand, lives, and the fact of this life is this: they plunged and will continue to plunge.

Priest Sergiy Kruglov. Photo by Anna Galperina

I personally? No, I have never plunged and I am not going to, perhaps my life is somewhat depleted from this, but to each his own, everyone lives only his own life, it is unthinkable to keep up with everything and try everything.

I have just begun to understand with difficulty what it is to live in Christ, I am also trying to try it somehow, for other things - my weak mortal forces are no longer enough, and among the sacraments of the Church, without which life in Christ is impossible, swimming in the winter jordan does not apply.

But I'm not going to dissuade those who want to plunge either. I repeat: God's world is great, people's lives are diverse, if they want to go for a dip, they won't ask me. And, by the way, by the mere fact that a person “for health” dives into the hole on the night of January 18-19, I won’t judge that He fell away from Christ - Christ Himself judges such things, only He knows what is in a person.

The only thing that would be useful is for the priests present at this dipping, since this matter is marked as church, to take breaks from time to time and, calling everyone for attention, simply and clearly tell people something like the following:

“Brothers and sisters walruses! I want to remind you of some things. If anyone thinks that Epiphany water washes away sins - he is mistaken, this is not true. Yes, a saint is a shrine, but sins are washed away by repentance, in the sacrament of confession and the correction of one's life according to the commandments of Christ. True, you have learned to hear such words and phrases, therefore I will explain in a simpler way: if we want to have life, and not death, we need to establish a living relationship with God. Only He Himself gives life, because He loves us. Are we His? Here is an important question.

The Church has the most important ways to establish fellowship with Christ: to know Him through Holy Bible and through His Body and Blood, that is, through participation in the Eucharistic life of the Church, this is first of all, and this is the most important thing. So, dear walruses, I wish you to come out of this hole in good health, and then, if anyone wants to, come to Church to find out more about Christ and how to be with Him.

Therefore, whoever is now “drunk for a warming” - sober up, who is not baptized - first go through a course of catechesis in any church of God close to you and be baptized, who is baptized - put aside colorful dreams about “ magic water”and popular print“ heroic traditions ”, and that’s all - take the thought into your head: who am I? and who is my God? Isn't it time for me to return to Him for real, in order to somehow change myself and my life?

And (I repeat - whoever wants, because a slave is not a pilgrim) come, we will try to figure it out together. Change your life, your brains and heart, your desires and claims, and even so that with Christ - yes, it's hard. And without it, nothing. Without this, you will sit in this hole for the whole year, there will be no sense.

Between blasphemy and the communion of the grace of the Holy Spirit

Archpriest Igor Prekup:

When it comes to Epiphany bathing, then, first of all, the attitude towards this action depends on the person who is dipping himself, on his spiritual state.

Firstly, a person may want to swim at Epiphany, considering this a tribute to tradition, an opportunity to feel some kind of solidarity with their ancestors, who also plunged into the hole at Epiphany, to feel tribal unity.

There is nothing wrong with this, but there is little spiritual meaning in such bathing. If people think that through immersion at Epiphany they support the tradition and strengthen spiritual ties, this is parallel to the spiritual meaning of baptismal bathing.

Archpriest Igor Prekup

Another thing is when bathing for a person is what connects him with the very Baptism of Christ. If for a person this ice-hole is not just a place of ritual bathing, but a window into that very gospel day, a fragment of Jordan is here, now, in this place, then with such a symbolic relationship, a person really partakes in the same evangelical Jordanian waters.

Because a person who makes such a bath thinks about God, for His sake he does it. And then this dipping is a form of communion with the grace of the Holy Spirit.

But I have big doubts that the majority of those who are immersed in Baptism treat their bathing in this way. Often during mass bathing people think about anything, but not about the meaning of the holiday. For many people, Epiphany bathing is just entertainment, another fun, accompanied by squeals, screams with all sorts of traditional phrases expressing thrills, not to mention all kinds of “auxiliaries” of emotional uplift. Such bathing is not even parallel to the holiday and its meaning, but against it.

If a person simply walruses on any other day, in any other hole that is not dedicated to the feast of Epiphany, let him go out as he wants. And all the idiomatic expressions that he allows himself while bathing remain on his conscience at this moment, as in any other moment of his life. It is a way of life, a cultural pastime.

But when the ice hole is dedicated specifically to the event of the Baptism of the Lord, and even cut down in the form of a cross to help a person tune in properly, not to mention the blessing of water done here a little earlier, and a person plunges as if he was taken to an amusement park, I perceive such behavior like blasphemy.

Therefore, if a person decides to take part in Epiphany bathing and does not want to blaspheme, let him first properly tune in, realize the meaning of the holiday, and at the same time not allow those around him to move him away from this healthy attitude with his frivolity, and then he plunges into the hole-Jordan.

ABOUT bathing rules in Epiphany frosts says our expert. Epiphany bathing January 19 have, above all, spiritual significance. On this day, Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. (Our ancestors called the hole intended for baptismal cleansing the Jordan and made it in the shape of a cross.) Orthodox Christians believed that everyone who went through baptismal bathing on this day would wash away their sins. Swimming in the ice hole at a girl's christening always looks interesting.


Especially attention, Epiphany bathing girls! This applies to those who guessed at Christmas time. After all, according to Christian religion, divination is sinful. But Epiphany bathing is also useful in terms of health. First, it is a cleansing of toxins. Secondly, a short stay in the ice hole is a useful shake for the body. During Epiphany bathing, the body experiences stress, there is an increased release of adrenaline and cortisol, which mobilize its defenses.


The pressure and body temperature increase, blood circulation increases. According to the rules, after the ice-hole, you need to vigorously rub yourself and immediately get dressed. And this is an excellent gymnastics for blood vessels, primarily for capillaries.
Vessels expand, circulation improves, thereby speeding up delivery nutrients to all cells of the body, and toxins leave it faster. And, of course, Epiphany bathing


great way to harden. Indeed, with the expansion of blood vessels on the mucous membrane of the throat and nose, more cells of the immune system of lymphocytes appear. But all these wonderful properties refer only to a short stay in the winter woods. If you “be heroic” and linger a little longer (at least for five minutes), the opposite effect will come. We can freeze, catch a cold, get frostbite. Up to a cold stop of breathing and heart. Therefore, baptismal bathing must be carried out wisely.

Basic rules for swimming in Epiphany frosts:


DIVING RULES


. It is necessary to dive into the hole not from the bay, but having prepared. Do not divide two or three before Epiphany, start pouring cool water on them. You can’t immediately pour “ice” on yourself. Epiphany bathing should begin with a comfortable shower: 26-27 ° C. Then, daily lowering the water temperature by one degree, reach at least 10 "C. By the way, this is exactly what walruses do.
They start diving in summer or at least early autumn. And as the water in the river cools, they get used to cold bathing. 10-15 seconds is the optimal time spent in the ice hole of Epiphany. Experienced walruses can stay in it for up to one minute.

ON A SOBER HEAD AND EASY STOMACH


The most important rule: "communion" and "warm for courage" before baptismal bathing are unacceptable. You need to dive only sober. Alcohol is disorienting. A drunk person can spend in ice water longer than the allotted time, or even choke.


It is also not recommended to eat before diving into the hole: during the digestion of food, blood enters mainly into the digestive organs, and the brain is supplied with it worse. If you also plunge into ice water at this time, dizziness may occur. You need to get into the water quickly. Always control the time. The motto is: dived ashore.


CORRECT WARMING


On land, you should rub yourself dry with a towel and quickly dress like a soldier. Now you can have a hot drink and a bite to eat. It is good to eat protein foods flavored with spices. Spices irritate blood vessels, further increasing blood circulation, and protein is a source of energy.


Hot tea is ideal as a drink, or at least hot water. Coffee is undesirable, because this drink produces a vasoconstrictive effect. Doctors have a negative attitude to high-grade drinks in this case as well. Partly because many people do not know the measure, especially during the holidays. And excess alcohol again has a negative effect on blood vessels.


DO YOU NEED A SWIMSUIT


He won't need it. Epiphany bathing should be done without linen or clothing, otherwise you risk hypothermia when your body is covered with a wet cloth when you go to land.


WHO IS SITTING ON THE SHORE


Like any extreme procedure, baptismal diving has contraindications. You can not clean the hole during a cold, flu and other infectious diseases: there is a risk of complications. You can, for example, dip your hands in water and dry them quickly.


Also, contraindications are heart and vascular diseases, especially hypertension (high blood pressure). There is a risk that the pressure will skyrocket due to an increase in the level of cortisol and adrenaline in the blood, a hypertensive crisis may even occur, an acute condition requiring hospitalization. The exception is people who take special drugs to normalize blood pressure. They can dive into the hole, but after consulting with the doctor.


NOT UNDER 18


No winter swimming, no dipping into the ice. Epiphany bathing is not recommended for children. Babies are still weak vascular system, and extreme is useless to her. Yes, and special sacred meaning such a rite for children, most likely, does not have. Becoming a walrus and diving into an ice hole is worth it.