Epiphany has come and gone. But this year, it struck me for the first time that the feast we celebrate is actually composed of several epiphanies—and that comes as something of a relief.

Thousands of Russians celebrating the Orthodox Christian feast day of Epiphany, where worshippers bathe in the icy waters of ...

Orthodox believers celebrate Epiphany by bathing in a lake in the village of Leninskoe, near Bishkek. Camera: IGOR KOVALENKO.

A man steps down to plunge as a cross is reflected in icy water before celebrating the Orthodox Epiphany in the Stroginskaya ...

Believers participate in this bathing tradition during the Orthodox celebration of Epiphany following the Julian calendar.

However local emergency services in some regions cancelled events, saying it was too hazardous for worshippers to cut bathing ...

Russians in the southern city of Anapa took their traditional Epiphany dips in waters affected by a major oil spill, ...

Across Russia, the devout and the daring celebrate Epiphany on Jan. 19 by immersing themselves in frigid water through holes cut through the ice of lakes and rivers, imitating the baptism of Jesus ...

Across Russia, the devout and the daring celebrate Epiphany on Jan. 19 by immersing themselves in frigid water through holes cut through the ice of lakes and rivers, imitating the baptism of Jesus ...