The Travel Diary: When Christians jump into the ice cold rivers of Belgrade

What you see along the way — When photographer Dan Sully found himself in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, he stumbled on an unexpected Christian tradition in the Danube's frozen waters.

Serbia is an interesting place to visit in 2017. If you grew up in the 90s, like I did, your entire awareness of the Balkans was in relation to the breakup of Yugoslavia, and the wars in Bosnia and Kosovo that became a common fixture on the news.

Since then, Croatia has found itself inside the EU, and it’s become a popular holiday destination (for my fellow Brits at least), but people have been slower to recognise Serbia as a place to visit.

After visiting the country myself, I’ve no doubt that this will change. My trip to Belgrade, the country’s capital, was during the very peak of winter, but even in the midst of the ice and snow I got a sense of a city that’s quickly redefining itself and looking to the future, while also preserving it’s own special culture and traditions. Traditions just like the Orthodox Christian Epiphany celebrations.

It’s on this day that people from the Orthodox Church come together to commemorate Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River by dipping, or swimming, in icy water across Russia and Eastern Europe. And I was to witness what the alarmingly icy water in Belgrade had to offer.

When I turn up to photograph the swims along the frozen Danube, the Serbians I meet greet me warmly, and can’t do enough to accommodate me on the day. I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but at some point later four blokes dressed as knights would give me a lift in their car.

I start the day by arriving at the Orthodox Church in Zemun, about 30 minutes west of Central Belgrade, where my local fixer tells me everything gets started. Inside everyone is singing, and when the ceremony comes to an end a procession makes its way to the river.

I stick with crowd and soon we arrive on the bank, where people are already gathered to catch the action. I’m snuck into an impromptu press area, despite not having any formal accreditation.

Out of the corner of my eye I clock a handful of blokes stripping down to their speedos, and in no time at all they’re in the water. Traditionally swimmers time 33 meters, given that Jesus was alive for that very number of years.

Despite the best efforts of the organisers, as soon as flesh hits water the crowd heaves forward, everyone desperate to catch a glimpse of those braving the freezing cold.

Once the swim was over, the crowd congregates by a small bandstand, while another ceremony gets under way led by Orthodox priests. On the river banks the shivering swimmers are hurriedly throwing on layers, the celebrations now over for another year.

I’m an atheist, but I find something inherently moving about devout religious belief, or frankly anything that people use to help them understand and make sense of the world that we live in. As far as I see it, the extreme act of ice-cold river swimming is simply a physical manifestation of this belief, and as I look around I feel both moved and joyous.

This is, however, just one of the many ways in which people demonstrate their devotion in religious ceremonies across the globe. I hope, in the coming years, to witness and photograph many more.

Follow Dan on Twitter or Instagram, and check out his website

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


Ad

Latest on Huck

Crowd of silhouetted people at a nighttime event with colourful lighting and a bright spotlight on stage.
Music

Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists

We Become One — A new documentary explores the positive effects that dance music and shared musical experiences can have on the human brain.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Indoor skate park with ramps, riders, and abstract architectural elements in blue, white, and black tones.
Sport

In England’s rural north, skateboarding is femme

Zine scene — A new project from visual artist Juliet Klottrup, ‘Skate Like a Lass’, spotlights the FLINTA+ collectives who are redefining what it means to be a skater.

Written by: Zahra Onsori

Black-and-white image of two men in suits, with the text "EVERYTHING IS COMPUTER" in large bright yellow letters overlaying the image.
Culture

Donald Trump says that “everything is computer” – does he have a point?

Huck’s March dispatch — As AI creeps increasingly into our daily lives and our attention spans are lost to social media content, newsletter columnist Emma Garland unpicks the US President’s eyebrow-raising turn of phrase at a White House car show.

Written by: Emma Garland

A group of people, likely children, sitting around a table surrounded by various comic books, magazines, and plates of food.
© Michael Jang
Culture

How the ’70s radicalised the landscape of photography

The ’70s Lens — Half a century ago, visionary photographers including Nan Goldin, Joel Meyerowitz and Larry Sultan pushed the envelope of what was possible in image-making, blurring the boundaries between high and low art. A new exhibition revisits the era.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Silhouette of person on horseback against orange sunset sky, with electricity pylon in foreground.
Culture

The inner-city riding club serving Newcastle’s youth

Stepney Western — Harry Lawson’s new experimental documentary sets up a Western film in the English North East, by focusing on a stables that also functions as a charity for disadvantaged young people.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Couple sitting on ground in book-filled environment
Culture

The British intimacy of ‘the afters’

Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to stay informed from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, with personal takes on the state of media and pop culture in your inbox every month from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.