Where you can swim in an ice hole for baptism. The best places for winter swimming

On the night of January 19, Orthodox Christians will celebrate one of their most revered holidays - Epiphany or, as it is also called, Epiphany. One of the brightest traditions associated with this event is swimming in an ice hole. If you come to relax at one of the tourist centers near Moscow or country hotels, but don’t know where the font closest to you is located, then this review of places for swimming at Epiphany will be very helpful.

Where in Moscow can you swim in an ice hole on Epiphany?

In Moscow this year it is planned to equip about 60 ice holes for Epiphany swimming. Therefore, in any area of ​​the capital and its suburbs it will be possible to find a font in which everyone who wants to join this tradition will be able to plunge.

Here we will provide a list of addresses of baths most conveniently located to places of country recreation - bases and hotels in the Moscow region.

A pond in the village of Rozhdestveno, located behind the Church of the Nativity in the Mitino region. The most convenient location for it is Apart Hotel Yes, located at the intersection of Baryshikha and Mitinskaya streets.

There are two baths in Zelenograd. One is located on Lake Shkolnoye on Filaretovskaya Street. The other is on Lake Chernoe (landmark - Lesnye Prudy alley near building 621A). It will be most convenient for those who vacation on, and to come here.

Those who vacation at bases located north of Moscow will have to either look for swimming pools in nearby towns or travel to Moscow to take part in this action. The closest baths to them are located in the Khimki area:

  • Pribrezhny Proezd, 1-7 - this is the water area of ​​the Khimki Reservoir;
  • st. Svobody, 56 is the territory of the Northern Tushino park.

Getting here along the Leningradskoe Highway or through the Moscow Ring Road will be convenient for those staying at the Concept and Meridian hotels.

Two baths are organized in the Novokosino area:

  • st. Zaozernaya, 2-6 on Lake Beloye;
  • st. Orangereinaya, 18 on Lake Svyatoe.

It will be very convenient to get here for those who are vacationing in - it is the closest to them.

The most convenient way to get to the swimming pool is located on the alder pond in the Terletskaya Dubrava recreation area, at 9 Svobodny Prospekt. It is on the left along Entuziastov Highway when entering Moscow after the Moscow Ring Road.

There are about twenty swimming pools in the southern suburbs of the capital. Here are some of them:

  • Nikolay Sirotkin St., 28 “a”;
  • Shcherbinka, st. Zheleznodorozhnaya, 15;
  • Shchapovskoye settlement, Oznobishino village.

The closest ones are country club"Relax", Bely Dom Country House And guest house "Erino".

The distance to the nearest font is no more than 15 km - this is in the village of Vasyunino.

Map of the location of the fonts at Epiphany bathing

In order to view the map in detail and find out where you can swim on Epiphany on the night of January 18-19 in Moscow, click on the zoom button in the lower right corner of the map.

How to swim properly?

A little about safety precautions. There are many known cases of hypothermia, no matter what adherents of this tradition say. Therefore, it is worth adhering to certain rules so that the memories of winter swimming later bring only pleasant emotions.

You need to start preparing your body in advance by doing cold dousing. And those who have chronic diseases are generally not recommended to expose their body to such stress. Others should take note that swimming should only be done in ice holes specially equipped with slopes (and this is primarily due to safety). It is not recommended to swim immediately after eating or on an empty stomach. You should take warm clothes and a blanket with you. You should not go swimming alone - let someone be nearby who can help in case of any problems.

On Tuesday, January 16, at a meeting of the Presidium of the Moscow Government, they discussed preparations for the upcoming holiday and told where to swim at Epiphany in Moscow in 2018. This year, for Epiphany in Moscow, 59 specially equipped places will be prepared for Epiphany bathing on January 18 and 19.

As you know, the Orthodox holiday of Epiphany is accompanied not only by worship, but also by swimming in an ice hole. According to weather forecasters, on the 18th and 19th the temperature will range from 5 to 10 degrees below zero.

Citizens and guests of the capital will be able to take a dip here from 18:00 on January 18 to 12:00 on January 19, 2018. All baths are equipped with comfortable bridges and wooden stairs with railings. Heated changing rooms and toilet stalls will be installed nearby. At night, lighting will be turned on in the area around the swimming pools. Also, everyone will be able to get hot tea. Temporary parking spaces for cars will be installed next to them.

Central district

Temple on Chisty Vrazhek

Northern District

Big Garden Pond

Water area of ​​the Khimki Reservoir:

— near the Dynamo water stadium, Leningradskoye shosse, vl. 39-43

— in the Levoberezhny beach area, opposite the Emergency Ministry station, Pribrezhny pr-d, vl. 7

Eastern District

Babaevsky pond, st. Kurganskaya, 5-9

Red Pond, Izmailovsky Forest Park

Font “Vernissage in Izmailovo”, Izmailovskoye sh., 73Zh

Oleniy Pond, Sokolniki Park, st. Sokolnichesky Val, 1, building 1

Beloe Lake, st. B. Kosinskaya, 46

Lake Svyatoe, st. Orangereinaya, 18

Terletsky Ponds, Svobodny Prospekt, 9

South-Eastern District

Upper Kuzminsky pond, st. Kuzminskaya, 10, near the dam

Lower Lublinsky Pond, st. Shkuleva, ow. 26, near the Ministry of Emergency Situations station

Shibaevsky pond, st. Zarechye, ow. 14, near the rescue station

Southern District

Borisov Ponds, st. Borisovskie Ponds, 2g

Upper Tsaritsynsky pond, st. Dolskaya, 1

Pond Beket, Zagorodnoye sh., no. 2

Southwestern District

Vorontsovsky pond, Church of the Life-giving Trinity in Vorontsovo, st. Vorontsovskie Ponds

Pond of the sanatorium “Uzkoe”, Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God in “Uzkoe”, st. Profsoyuznaya, 123 B

Troparevo pond, recreation area "Troparevo", st. Akademika Vinogradova, 4

Chernevsky Pond, Church of the Nativity of Christ in Chernevo, st. Yuzhnobutovskaya, 61

Pond on Nakhimovsky Prospekt, 8

Pond near the temple in Zakharyino

Western district

Meshchersky pond, st. Voskresenskaya, d. Za

Moskva River, Filevsky Boulevard, opposite No. 21

Moscow River, st. B. Filevskaya, 40a

Pond in the village of Rublevo

Northwestern District

Moscow River, st. Aviatsionnaya, 79

Moscow River, Stroginskaya floodplain, st. Tvardovsky, ow. 16

Bottomless Lake, st. Tamanskaya, 91

Derivation channel

Karamyshevskaya embankment, 13-15

Kirov floodplain

Moscow River, Northern Tushino Park, st. Svobody, 56

Rozhdestvenno village pond, st. Baryshikha, 4-6

Pond Baryshikha in Mitino

Yuzhnoye Tushino, st. Boat, ow. 19

Zelenograd

Black Lake, on west side reservoir, Lesnye Prudy alley, 6th microdistrict

Shkolnoye Lake, on the western side of the reservoir, Panfilovsky Prospekt, bldg. 1001

New Moscow

Troitsk, r. Desna, Zarechye recreation area

Fonts:

— in the village of Svinorye

- in the village holiday home "Pleskovo"

— at the temple in the village of Vasyunino

- in the village DSK "Michurinets"

— in the park “Rucheyok” in the village of Marushkino

— in the village of Tovarishchevo

— in the village of Evseevo-Kuvekino

— in the village of Puchkovo

- in the village Shishkin forest

Ponds:

- on the river Treshnya, Chernetskoe village

- in the village Epiphany

- in the village Pokrovskoe

- in the village Bylovo

— in the village of Knutovo

- in the village Oznobishino

— near the Voskresenskoye holiday home

- in the village Mosrentgen

— in the Ulyanovsk forest park

Safety rules when swimming at Epiphany

— You should plunge (swim) in specially equipped ice holes near the shore under the supervision of lifeguards.

— Before swimming in the ice hole, you need to warm up your body by warming up and jogging.

— You must approach the ice hole in comfortable, non-slip and easily removable shoes to prevent loss of sensitivity in your feet. It is better to use boots or woolen socks to reach the ice hole. It is possible to use special rubber slippers, which also protect your feet from sharp stones and salt, and also prevent you from slipping on ice. When going to the ice hole, remember that the path may be slippery. Walk slowly and carefully.

— Make sure that the ladder for descending into the water is stable. At the very least, to be on the safe side, it is necessary to lower the edge of a strong, thick rope with knots into the water so that swimmers can use it to get out of the water. The opposite end of the rope must be securely fastened to the shore.

— It is best to plunge up to your neck, without getting your head wet, in order to avoid a reflex narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain; Never dive into the hole head first. Jumping into water and immersing yourself in water are not recommended, as this increases the loss of temperature and can lead to shock from the cold.

— When entering the water for the first time, try to quickly reach the depth you need, but do not swim. Remember that cold water can cause completely normal, harmless rapid breathing. Once your body has adjusted to the cold.

- Do not stay in the ice hole for more than 1 minute to avoid general hypothermia of the body. When lowering to the bottom in a small ice hole, the danger also consists of the following. Not everyone knows how to descend vertically. Many descend at an angle, moving towards the edge of the ice. At a depth of 4 m, the displacement from the starting point can reach 1 - 1.5 m. When ascending with your eyes closed in a small ice hole, you can “miss” and hit your head on the ice.

- If you have a child with you, fly after him as he dives into the hole. A frightened child can easily forget that he knows how to swim.

— It’s not so easy to get out of the hole. When exiting, do not directly hold onto the handrails, use a dry towel, a handful of snow from the edge of the ice hole, you can scoop up more water into handfuls and, leaning on the handrails, rise quickly and energetically.

— Climbing out in a vertical position is difficult and dangerous. If you fall off, you can go under the ice. Insurance and mutual assistance are required.

— After bathing (dipping), dry yourself and your child with a terry towel and put on dry clothes.

If a believer decides that he needs to plunge into an ice hole for Baptism, then he should remember medical contraindications.

You should prepare for immersion in ice water in advance, and those who have diseases of the cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine and respiratory systems should definitely not experiment. In addition, contraindications are pregnancy, gastrointestinal diseases, inflammatory processes in the body and children under 2 years of age.

January nineteenth The Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the twelfth (one of the twelve most important) holidays - Epiphany or Epiphany.

The meaning of the holiday of Epiphany

Epiphany- this is one of the oldest Christian holidays (along with Easter and Pentecost), dedicated to events associated with the Nativity of Christ and subsequent life events Jesus Christ.

In later times in Orthodoxy, the feast of the Epiphany was connected in meaning with Baptism of the Lord, having lost the original connection with Christmas events. In modern Orthodoxy, Epiphany and Epiphany are the names of the same holiday. The plot of the holiday - Baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River with the help of the prophet John the Baptist.

Epiphany- this is the appearance of God during Baptism in the fullness of the Trinity (God the Son was baptized, God the Father spoke to him from heaven, God the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove).

Epiphany ice holes

Literally, Baptism translated from Greek is immersion in water. In memory of the Baptism of Jesus, baptism is the first and most important Christian sacrament, which introduces a person to the church.

On Epiphany Christmas Eve - the evening of January 18 - the blessing of water in churches is carried out. On January 19 - the feast of Epiphany itself - the blessing of water is held in open bodies of water - rivers, lakes, ponds, etc.

Believers believe that on Epiphany night all earthly waters become holy and divine. Epiphany water is considered healing; Christians also believe that plunging into a consecrated ice hole washes away sins committed over the previous year. In churches, blessed water can be collected until January 27, and believers try to stock up on holy water for the entire next year, until the next Epiphany.

When can you swim in an ice hole at Epiphany - 2017

The Russian Orthodox Church blesses Epiphany bathing from 20:00 on January 18th to 8:00 am on January 20th.

Rules for Epiphany bathing

  • You can swim only in specially equipped ice holes near the shore, preferably under the supervision of employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations or the police and vigilantes.
  • You cannot drink alcohol before diving into the ice hole and it is undesirable to do this after the ceremony.
  • People with cardiovascular, pulmonary and other diseases should take special care and it is advisable to consult with doctors before Epiphany bathing. Remember, baptismal bathing is not mandatory, and the church does not bless bathing at the expense of health.
  • Before going to the Jordan (as ice holes for Epiphany bathing, carved into the ice in the form of an Orthodox cross, have been called in Rus' since ancient times), you should eat, and immediately before diving into the ice hole you need to warm up by doing a short warm-up.
  • You must approach the ice hole in comfortable, non-slip and easily removable shoes.
  • Under no circumstances should you dive; it is undesirable to plunge headlong into the water to avoid hypothermia and possible sharp constriction of the blood vessels in the brain.
  • You should not stay in Jordan for more than a minute to avoid hypothermia.
  • After swimming, you need to immediately rub yourself and put on dry, warm clothes.
  • Children should be closely monitored and not allowed to dive into the ice hole on their own. The participation of children in Epiphany bathing is the responsibility of the parents and, according to doctors, does not pose serious threats to the health of minors.

Where you can swim on Epiphany in Moscow and St. Petersburg.

In Moscow, more than 60 fonts are equipped for Epiphany in different parts of the city; in St. Petersburg, the largest city Jordan is traditionally located at the Ioannovsky Ravelin Peter and Paul Fortress on the Neva. In total, about two dozen baths will open in St. Petersburg in different areas of the city and in the nearest suburbs.

Read more about this in the material Federal agency news .

Epiphany rules and prohibitions

Among the people, Epiphany was called Vodokreschi - this is the day of the folk calendar, also falling on January 19 (January 6, old style). On this day, Christmastide ended, the consecration of reservoirs took place, people swam in the ice hole and began to prepare for the winter wedding season.

Among the folk baptismal prohibitions, the following are known:

  • You cannot quarrel or even argue while holding a vessel with holy water, otherwise it will lose its healing power.
  • You cannot be greedy and collect too much baptismal water from a church or a reservoir.
  • Starting from Epiphany, it is strictly forbidden to tell fortunes, and for those who participated in Christmas fortune-telling, it is advisable to plunge into an ice hole to wash away this sin.
  • You cannot do laundry at home for two days after Epiphany; for open bodies of water, this ban lasts for two weeks. In general, on Epiphany, which is a major Christian holiday, all work, except the most necessary, is prohibited.
  • If a bird knocks on the window at Epiphany, you need to pray for your deceased relatives - it is believed that their souls are asking for help from the living.
  • On Epiphany in villages there is a ban on feeding poultry; it is believed that if you feed chickens on this day, in the summer they will rake the beds and spoil the seedlings.

In Moscow, 60 places have been designated for Epiphany bathing - 62 lanes and 10 fonts. All places will be illuminated, equipped with changing rooms, tea tents, observation posts for rescuers and entrances for ambulances.

Epiphany bathing takes place on the night of January 18-19 and during the day in special baths (Jordans), which are made in the shape of a cross and consecrated. Rescuers ask citizens to follow the rules of winter swimming.

In order not to risk their health, swimmers are not recommended to swim and limit themselves to a minute stay in the water. After bathing, you need to rub your body with a terry towel, put on dry clothes and drink hot tea.

This year, about 120 thousand people are expected to take part in Epiphany bathing. The number of bathing participants varies annually. So, in 2016, 105.3 thousand people plunged into the water, and in 2015 - 112.1 thousand people.

List of places in Moscow where Epiphany bathing will be organized in 2017

An object

Address

Ice hole

Fonts

Revolution square

Big Garden Pond

B. Akademicheskaya, st. 47

Coastal passage, 1-7

Water area of ​​the Khimki reservoir

Leningradskoe highway, 47-49

Palace Pond

Between st. Academician Queen and 1st Ostankino

Lake "Holy"

st. Orangereinaya, 18

Lake "White"

st. Zaozernaya, 2-6

Recreation area "Terletskaya oakbrava", Alder pond

Svobodny Prospekt, 9

Red Pond

Izmailovsky Forest Park, Main Alley

Font "Vernissage in Izmailovo"

Izmailovskoe highway, 73Zh

Babaevsky Pond

st. Kurganskaya, 5-9

Nizhny Maysky Pond

Sokolniki Park

Upper Kuzminsky Pond

St. Kuzminskaya 10

Shibaevsky Pond

St. Zarechye vl.14

Lower Lublin Pond

St. Shkuleva 2 b

Tsaritsynsky pond

st. Dolskaya, 1

Becket Pond

Zagorodnoe highway, 2

Borisov Ponds

st. Borisovskie Ponds, 2g

Vorontsovsky Pond

st. Ak. Pilyugina, 1

Pond of the sanatorium “Uzkoe”

st. Profsoyuznaya 123B

Troparevsky Pond

st. Academician Vinogradova 7

Pond on Nakhimovsky Prospekt

Nakhimovsky prospect, building 8

Chernevsky Pond (decorative pond No. 1)

st. Yuzhnobutovskaya, 62

Pond on the Temple grounds

Nikolay Sirotkin St., 28 “a”

Lake Meshchersky

st. Voskresenskaya 3a

Moskva river

p. Rublevo, st. V. Botyleva, 41

Moskva river

st. B. Filevskaya, 40 a

Moskva river

Filevsky Blvd., 21

Landscape park

st. Baryshikha vl. 4

Pond in the village Rozhdestveno

Pond in the village Rozhdestveno (behind the Church of the Nativity), Mitino district

Kirov floodplain

st. Isakovsky ow. 2

Lake Bezdonnoye

st. Tamanskaya, 91

Moskva river

Karamyshevskaya embankment, 13-15

PIK "Pokrovskoe-Streshnevo"

Natural and historical park "Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo" Chernushka No. 4

PKiO "Northern Tushino"

st. Svobody 56

Stroginskaya floodplain, Moscow River

st. Tvardovsky vl. 16 building 3

Diversion channel (left bank)

st. Boat ow. 19

Diversion channel (right bank)

st. Malaya Naberezhnaya 3, building 1

Embankment of the Moscow River (left bank)

st. Zhivopisnaya 50

Lake "School"

10 microdistrict, Filaretovskaya street, next to the beach area

Lake "Black"

6 microdistrict, Forest Ponds alley near building 621 A, font on the west side

Holy spring and chapel-font in honor of the icon of the Mother of God of Kazan

Moscow, Vnukovskoye village DSK "Michurinets", st. Arseny Tarkovsky, next to the river. Setun

-

Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Moscow settlement Voronovskoye village. Pokrovskoe

Trinity Church d/o Voskresenskoe

Moscow, Voskresenskoye village, pos. Voskresenskoye, d/o "Voskresenskoye"

Font at the spring near the village of Evseevo-Kuvekino

Moscow, Desenovskoye village, Evseevo-Kuvekino village

Equipped font, Pechenka River, Tovarishchevo Temple of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

Moscow, pos. Klenovskoye, Tovarishchevo village

Equipped place for Epiphany bathing in the village of Tovarishchevo

Moscow, pos. Klenovskoye, Chernetskoye village

Epiphany font

p. Krasnopakhorskoye village Bylovo, pond near St. Michael the Archangel Church

village Marushkino People's Park "Rucheyok"

Moscow, Marushkinskoye village, Marushkino village, Rucheyek People's Park

Bolshoye Svinorye near the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands

Moscow, pos. Marushkinskoye, Bolshoye Svinorye village, near the Church of the Savior Not Made by Hands

Church of the New Martyrs of Podolsk in Shishkin Les

Moscow, Mikhailovo-Yartsevskoye village, Shishkin Les village, 43

Temple of St. Sergius of Radonezh

village d/o Pleskovo, on the territory of LLC “New Construction”

Moskovsky village, Ulyanovsk forest park village, block 30, Gloria LLC

p. Moskovsky,

n. Ulyanovsk forest park, LLC "Gloria" Temple-chapel of the icon of the Mother of God "Unfading Color"

Middle pond of the Trinity Estate cascade

Moscow, Mosrentgen village near house No. 39

Pervomaiskoe village,

Puchkovo village, Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God

Moscow, Pervomaiskoe village, Puchkovo village

Vasyunino village, Holy Trinity Church

Trinity Church in the village of Vasyunino

R. "Desna" within the boundaries of the city district Troitsk Recreation area "Zarechye"

Pond in the village of Knutovo

Moscow, Filimonkovskoe village, Knutovo village

Font in the village of Oznobishino

Moscow, Shchapovskoye village, Oznobishino village, near the Holy Trinity Church

Temple complex Icons of the Mother of God "Vsetsaritsa" and the Holy Martyr Grand Duchess Elizabeth in Shcherbinka

Moscow, Shcherbinka, st. Zheleznodorozhnaya, building 15

TOTAL

Safe swimming in an ice hole at Epiphany

Before you decide to swim, you should familiarize yourself with the basic rules for bathing at Epiphany. It is not recommended to dive into the ice hole for more than 2 minutes. You must wear shoes before reaching the ice hole, as your feet begin to freeze first.

It is better to undress before swimming gradually: first remove your outerwear, after a few minutes your shoes, and only then your swimsuit. After swimming, you first need to rub yourself well with a towel, then get dressed and drink something hot.

Immersion in cold water is especially dangerous for people with bronchopulmonary diseases, weak hearts, and blood pressure problems. If it is high, then a person may experience vasospasm or a micro-stroke, and if it is low, convulsions may occur.

On the night of January 19, the rite of Epiphany bathing will take place. The events will take place from 18:00 on January 18 to 12:00 on January 19. It is expected that about 130 thousand people will take part in the ceremony. If there are more people interested, the opening hours of the sites will be extended. Read about where you can swim on the night of Epiphany in our material.

Central Administrative District

  • Temple on Chisty Vrazhek.
SAO
  • Big Garden Pond;
  • Coastal passage, 7;
  • Water stadium "Dynamo".
NEAD
  • Palace Pond.

All places for Epiphany bathing have safe approaches and descents to the water, as well as heated changing rooms, toilets and parking for cars.

VAO

  • Lake Svyatoe;
  • Lake Beloe;
  • Terletsky Ponds;
  • Red Pond;
  • font "Vernissage";
  • Babaevsky Pond;
  • May Pond.
SEAD
  • Shibaevsky pond.

Southern Administrative District

  • Borisovsky Pond (according to Rospotrebnadzor, the water in the pond does not meet sanitary standards);
  • Tsaritsynsky pond;
  • Becket pond (according to Rospotrebnadzor, the water in the pond does not meet sanitary standards).

During the events, the safety of citizens will be ensured by about 2.4 thousand people and 180 pieces of equipment, including 776 rescuers from the Ministry of Emergency Situations and volunteers, 21 rescue hovercraft, 163 vehicles, 1,587 police officers and 60 medical teams. At the same time, there will be almost three thousand vigilantes.

South-Western Administrative District

  • Vorontsovsky Pond;
  • pond of the sanatorium "Uzkoe";
  • Troparevsky Pond;
  • pond on Nakhimovsky Prospekt, 8;
  • Chernevsky Pond;
  • pond near the temple in Zakharyino.

Company

  • Meshchersky Pond;
  • Moscow River – Rublevo village;
  • Moscow River – Filevskaya street, 40A;
  • Moscow River – Filevsky Boulevard, 21.
SZAO
  • Baryshikha pond in Mitino;
  • pond in the village Rozhdestveno;
  • Derivation channel;
  • pond No. 4 on the Chernushka River;
  • PKiO "Northern Tushino";
  • Stroginskaya floodplain;
  • Kirov floodplain;
  • Bottomless Lake;
  • Karamyshevskaya embankment, 13-15;
  • Zhivopisnaya street, 50;
  • South Tushino, Lodochnaya street, building 19.

ZelAO

  • Black Lake;
  • Lake Shkolnoe.

For those Muscovites who prefer to stay at home on the night of January 19, the Window to the City portal will host a...

TiNAO

  • Troitsk, Desna River, Zarechye recreation area;
  • pond on the Treshna River, Chernetskoye village;
  • pond in the village Epiphany;
  • pond in the village Pokrovskoe;
  • pond in the village Bylovo;
  • pond in the village of Knutovo;
  • pond in the village Oznobishino;
  • pond in the Voskresenskoye educational establishment;
  • pond in the village of Svinorye;
  • pond of the Ulyanovsk forest park;
  • pond in the village Mosrentgen;
  • font in the village DO "Pleskovo";
  • temple complex of the icon of the Mother of God in Shcherbinka;
  • Church of the Holy Trinity in the village of Vasyunino;
  • font in the village DSK "Michurinets";
  • Park "Rucheyok", Marushkino village;
  • font in the village of Tovarishchevo;
  • font in the village of Evseevo-Kuvekino;
  • font in the village of Puchkovo;
  • font in the village of Shishkin forest.

Here's what you need to know if you decide to go for a swim:

  • Before swimming in the ice hole, warm up your body by warming up or jogging.
  • Approach the ice hole in comfortable, non-slip, easy-to-remove shoes to prevent loss of feeling in your feet. You can wear special rubber slippers, which also protect your feet from sharp stones and salt, and also prevent you from slipping on ice.
  • When heading to the ice hole, you must remember that the path may be slippery. Move slowly.
  • It is best to plunge up to your neck, without getting your head wet, in order to avoid a reflex narrowing of the blood vessels in the brain. You should not dive into the hole head first.
  • Jumping into water and immersing yourself in water are not recommended, as this increases temperature loss and can lead to hypothermia.
  • Do not stay in the ice hole for more than one minute to avoid general hypothermia of the body.
  • If you have a child with you, be sure to keep an eye on him while he dives into the ice hole.
  • Getting out of the hole is not so easy. When exiting, do not directly hold onto the handrails, use a dry towel, a handful of snow from the edge of the ice hole, or you can scoop up more water into handfuls and, holding the handrails, quickly and vigorously rise.
  • After bathing (dipping), dry yourself and your child with a terry towel and put on dry clothes.
  • To avoid hypothermia, it is best to drink hot tea, for example from berries and fruits.