On January 19 , President of Ukraine Viktor Yushchenko took part in the celebration of Orthodox Epiphany. According to his press service, the head of state visited the chapel in honor of the Great Martyr Varvara on the territory of the Pushcha-Ozernaya sanatorium complex in Kiev.

After this, he attended the liturgy, which took place on the shore of a nearby lake and, according to folk custom, swam in an ice hole that was cut out of the ice.

Together with Yushchenko, the celebrations were attended by several people's deputies, as well as employees of the presidential secretariat and government officials.

It is expected that the head of state will also take part in the celebration of Epiphany and folk festivities, which, on the occasion of the holiday, will take place in the Hydropark recreational complex, located on one of the islands in the middle of the Dnieper.

As previously reported, Yushchenko lost the presidential election, gaining only about five percent of the vote in the first round.

The fight for his seat is now continued by Viktor Yanukovych and Yulia Tymoshenko .

Yushchenko dived into the hole