No, no, this is not the Orthodox version of the ice bucket challenge, but rather an annual holiday celebrated at the beginning of January.

In fact, it’s supposed to represent the baptism of Jesus Christ (superstar), but I can assure you the icy waters of Lake Seliger are nothing like the River Jordan.

Clad in a fur jacket with felt boots [just look at him below], Putin advanced towards a cut-out section of the icy lake, about 250 miles north of Moscow, readying himself for the moment:

After he removed his coat and boots, Putin then walked down a set of wooden steps into the hole, crossed himself, and then remembered to dip his head under the water before getting out.

Of course, the Russian state television was there to capture the moment:

President #Putin joins the nation in celebrating the #Epiphany, braves the icy waters of the frozen Lake Seliger pic.twitter.com/2waCXxKPuK

— Russian Embassy in South Africa ?? (@EmbassyofRussia) January 19, 2018

Dedication to the cause, bro.

Air temperatures at the time sat at around -6C, reports The Telegraph – casual:

As president, he has become a frequent attender of Russian Orthodox ceremonies, and has given the church an influential voice in society.

The ceremony marked the culmination of a busy day of public engagements for Mr Putin, who earlier had laid flowers at Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery to commemorate the Russian fallen for the 75th anniversary of the Nazi breakthrough at the Siege of Leningrad.

How about this for frosty – did you know that Moscow experienced only six minutes of direct sunshine over December?

[source:cnn]