The baptism of Christ" ritual turns tragic as a Russian woman drowns in front of her children

The "Baptism of Christ" is a well-known ceremony in the Orthodox Church that involves bathing in an ice hole, usually cut into a river. According to local beliefs, this ritualistic bath washes away one's sins.

Tragically, for one woman, this ceremony turned out to be her last. During the ritual held in the Russian Leningrad region, a heartbreaking accident took place.

During the "Baptism of Christ" ritual, a 40-year-old Russian woman jumped into an ice hole cut into the Oredez River. It's evident from a video online that just before jumping, she made the sign of the cross and then plunged into the water.

Regrettably, her jump went so awry that she ended up under the ice. The strong current of the Oredez River swept her away. Despite quick reactions from men standing nearby to rescue her, their efforts were in vain.

It appears that the ice hole into which the 40-year-old woman jumped was improperly secured. Remarkably, a place designated for the "Baptism of Christ" was nearby, overseen by police and ambulance services. Why the woman chose to use an unsecured ice hole remains unknown.

Heartbreakingly, the deceased woman's children had to witness their mother's fatal accident. Efforts to recover her body seem to be futile. Despite the rapid assembly of a divers team, the search under such challenging conditions was unsuccessful.