Ceremonial freezing baths

In the last few days, two different ceremonies had taken place. They are totally different in many aspects but they are connected by the fact that in both of them the faithfuls have to bathe in freezing waters in order to officiate the ceremony.

In Japan the partecipants wearing the traditional "Fudoshi" (a loincloth) transports the "Mikoshi" or portable shrine during the festival of Enoshima midwinter.






In the meanwhile in russia people celebrates the Orthodox Epiphany bathing inside icy lakes




photos by Reuters