January
19th marked the final day of the Ukrainian holidays - the
Epiphany. On this day all water is
sacred – people head to lakes & rivers to wash away their sins by dunking 3
times crossing themselves after each dunk.
We got an
up-close view of this ceremony from the riverside ‘camp-ground’ we headed to
with friends this weekend
OK, we're not that crazy - our version of 'camping' included log cabins with fireplaces, bathrooms and heat...
A cross was
cut out of the ice, a ladder dropped in & a procession of people stripped
down to their undies for the dunk.
Our good
friend Paolo even went in....
(We knew he was a little bit crazy and now think he might also be part fish)
Logan
joined 5 others for a 2 hour sauna – TWO hours?!
Apparently that is tolerable with occasional
breaks outside, some vodka & dips in the lake
But the
least expected dunk took place right after our arrival. As Logan & I were distracted getting
settled, the kids were out sledding down the beach onto the frozen river....
Xavier
found a weak spot & went in up to his chest.
(Yes – 2
minutes into our trip & his only set of snow pants, coat & boots are
SOAKED!)
But with
his sins are all absolved, we couldn’t really get mad at him
Here’s to refreshing
weekends & fresh starts!
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