My birthday is January 6, which is celebrated as Epiphany in most of the countries where Roman Catholicism is the major religion. Epiphany is the day that the three wise men got to see Jesus. It is celebrated on different days in other countries where Roman Catholicism is not the dominant religion. It is celebrated on January 19 in Russia, for example. I think this is because the Russians factored in the depth of the snow when thinking about how fast three kings on donkeys could travel. In January, it is anus-deep snow in Russia, so that colored their thinking.
The Russians celebrate Epiphany with a ceremonial dip in very icy waters, symbolizing rebirth. Here is one such celebrant now in her traditional costume.
Sometimes, the event is more involved, as shown below. Here is one celebrant with a deacon.
It isn’t clear what the whole ceremony is about. Here is a picture of the priest who will administer the ceremony. I wonder if he knows.
Yeah, I think he has it figured out.
(Actually, he was the first to cross a river and get the cross the Sava River in Belgrade, but I like my story better.)