Epiphany is a holiday that marks the end of the Christmas holidays here. Churchgoers jump into icy water in their local rivers or lakes, to honor Jesus' baptism. It is a fun tradition because the water is very cold so people have a fun time taking turns jumping into the freezing water, warming up and hanging at the river with their communities.
I learned about Epiphany for the first time last year, and I was so surprised! I couldn't believe so many Ukrainians participated in this tradition, even if they weren't religious. To me, it sounds really fun to quickly jump into the icy water in winter. Would you try it?
Ukrainians have this tradition because it symbolizes Jesus' baptism in the water from all of those years ago. Many towns and cities around Ukraine participate because people enjoy jumping in the water and formally "ending" the Christmas festivities.
Epiphany is a fun tradition because the communities decorate the places on the rivers and lakes where people jump in. People also hang out thereafter, have Шашлык (Shashlik meaning barbeque) and celebrate the end of Christmas with their family and friends.
