美国国家公共电台 NPR--A tradition of plunging in an icy river persists in Ukraine, despite the war

A tradition of plunging¹ in an icy river persists in Ukraine, despite the war

Transcript²

"Do it fast and don't scream," Nikolai Pastushenko, 34, thinks as he wades³ into the icy cold water of the river running through the center of the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. He does the sign of the cross across his bare chest and then he dunks. Once. Twice. Three times. His mind goes blank.

Pastushenko is one of about three dozen people who have come down to this spot along the Dnipro River to take the plunge⁴, a tradition across Ukraine — and Russia — on Jan. 19. The Christian⁵ holiday of Epiphany celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ, though this annual ice swim's religious ties are loose. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine has been vocal⁶ in its objections to it, including in a Facebook post this week that said, "there is no religious reason for the immersion⁷ in winter water and never has been."

But it's become a tradition nonetheless and persists despite the war.

"Of course, it doesn't feel like a holiday this year — you don't have a festive⁸ mood," says Pastushenko, who is meeting a number of his friends here to take the plunge together. "It's just a reason to get together and to get more united." Feeling a sense of lightness, if just for a moment, is especially important now, he says, given the recent events in Dnipro. "We just need to get distracted a little bit from what is happening. It's not to have fun, but to think about something else, to turn your attention into something else."

This year, the crowds are much smaller. Mass gatherings⁹ were banned in several cities, including Kharkiv, though many smaller gatherings still took place across the country.

In Dnipro, near a marina with a small rocky beach, there's no queue, so you don't have to wait in line. Yulia, 43, confidently wades in while her friend snaps photos. "It feels great," she says when she emerges. She did not share her last name for privacy reasons. When she was younger, she watched her parents do it, and she's been coming herself for the last seven years. She felt it was important to come this year, too. "You want to preserve what was before, especially this year," she says. "It gives you this feeling of normalcy — that everything is okay. It's something that we are all missing now."

In years when the river is totally frozen, people jump in a hole cut into the shape of a cross. But a warm winter has left the Dnipro river mostly thawed¹⁰, although the chunks¹¹ of ice that drift to shore serve as a reminder¹² that even if the water isn't frozen solid, it's still quite cold.

Groups of friends huddle¹³ in their bathing suits and towels, making game plans and deciding who will go first. A man named Roman jogs in place, then does some pushups, before announcing it's time for him to go in.

Many of the people here have been doing this for years and are far less interested in the washing away of their sins and more into the idea of a fresh start, a clean mind and a jump start as they begin the new year.

"It gives you a little bit of clarity," explains Stanislav Bazhenov, 22, who is in the Ukrainian military and on break for the next week before heading back to the fighting in Soledar. "You dip into the water and you get this good feeling — like freedom, you know?" He confirms that submerging feels like small daggers¹⁴ all over your body — but in a relaxing way. "It's hard to describe," he says. "You just have to do it yourself."

1 plunging   

adj.跳进的，突进的v.颠簸( plunge的现在分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降

参考例句：

• War broke out again, plunging the people into misery and suffering. 战祸复发，生灵涂炭。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• He is plunging into an abyss of despair. 他陷入了绝望的深渊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

3 wades   

（从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• A lumi wields a golden morningstar with trained ease as it wades into melee. 光民熟练地挥舞钉头锤加入战团。

4 plunge   

v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲

参考例句：

• Test pool's water temperature before you plunge in.在你跳入之前你应该测试水温。
• That would plunge them in the broil of the two countries.那将会使他们陷入这两国的争斗之中。

5 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

6 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

7 immersion   

n.沉浸；专心

参考例句：

• The dirt on the bottom of the bath didn't encourage total immersion.浴缸底有污垢，不宜全身浸泡于其中。
• The wood had become swollen from prolonged immersion.因长时间浸泡，木头发胀了。

8 festive   

adj.欢宴的，节日的

参考例句：

• It was Christmas and everyone was in festive mood.当时是圣诞节，每个人都沉浸在节日的欢乐中。
• We all wore festive costumes to the ball.我们都穿着节日的盛装前去参加舞会。

9 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。

10 thawed   

解冻

参考例句：

• The little girl's smile thawed the angry old man. 小姑娘的微笑使发怒的老头缓和下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He thawed after sitting at a fire for a while. 在火堆旁坐了一会儿，他觉得暖和起来了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 chunks   

厚厚的一块( chunk的名词复数 )； （某物）相当大的数量或部分

参考例句：

• a tin of pineapple chunks 一罐菠萝块
• Those chunks of meat are rather large—could you chop them up a bIt'smaller? 这些肉块相当大，还能再切小一点吗？

12 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

13 huddle   

vi.挤作一团；蜷缩；vt.聚集；n.挤在一起的人

参考例句：

• They like living in a huddle.他们喜欢杂居在一起。
• The cold wind made the boy huddle inside his coat.寒风使这个男孩卷缩在他的外衣里。

14 daggers   

匕首，短剑( dagger的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I will speak daggers to her, but use none. 我要用利剑一样的话刺痛她的心，但绝不是真用利剑。
• The world lives at daggers drawn in a cold war. 世界在冷战中剑拨弩张。