Putin strips down to mark Baptism of Jesus Christ

Russian President Vladimir Putin stripped off to his bathing trunks and immersed himself in the freezing waters of a lake late Thursday, to observe an Orthodox Christian ritual to mark the feast of Epiphany.

The half-naked Putin marked the baptism of Jesus Christ when he bathed in the icy waters in -6C weather.

Video footage showed Putin marching onto the ice of frozen Lake Seliger, about 400 km (250 miles) north of Moscow, dressed in a sheepskin coat and felt boots.

He then climbed down a set of wooden steps into a hole in the ice, crossed himself and dipped his head under the water as he observed the Orthodox Christian ritual marking the feast of Epiphany.

Putin, who is often seen topless or taking part in 'manly' activities, took part in the ritual at Lake Seliger, about 250 miles north of Moscow, late on Thursday.

Each year on Epiphany, Orthodox believers immerse themselves in rivers and lakes to commemorate the baptism of Jesus Christ in the River Jordan.

Open displays of religion were considered taboo when Putin was growing up under Communist rule in the Soviet Union.

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