You don't have to get in the water, but many do. For members of the Christian Orthodox church, water blessed by a priest for the celebration of Epiphany -- Jan. 19 by the Orthodox calendar -- has curative and magical powers and can even wash away sins. According to one Russian polling agency, around 6 percent of Russians like to dive right in, no matter what the weather. Another 48 percent prefer simply to be dabbed with water. And the ritual happens right across Eastern Europe. Here, a boy emerges from an ice hole full of blessed water not far from Kiev in Ukraine.