Tens of thousands of Russians in and around...

Honoring an old Russian tradition, believers will dive into blessed holes, usually made in the shape of a cross, in the ice of lakes and rivers to mark baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

The ceremony, symbolizing the cleansing of sins and the healing of illnesses, is also popular among nonbelievers.

The emergencies ministry has published a list of some 30 proposed bathing places in the capital and its environs and says more than 60,000 are expected to dive in after midnight and during the day on Tuesday.

Weather forecasters said air temperatures will fall below minus 20 Celsius overnight, rising to around minus 16 on Tuesday afternoon.

Water on Epiphany is believed to become holy and to have healing properties, but the ministry said it has dispatched 265 rescuers to be on duty near the ice holes.

The ministry expects Svyatoye Ozero, or Holy Lake, in Moscow"s eastern Kosino district to be the most popular bathing spot, with more than 17,000

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