January 19 (that’s tomorrow) is Epiphany, or the Baptism of Our Lord. All over Moscow there are numerous spots for those who’d like to dip into the ice-cold water. The idea is that on Epiphany all waters transmit sainthood of God Our Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, although, of course, in his own days Jesus dipped into the Jordan in the weather conditions nowhere near those in Russia in January. In a way, those who undertake dips on Epiphany in the name of Jesus express a far greater religious zeal than believers from sunnier and warmer places.
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| Year 2012. “Help! Any doctors here?” – “I’m a phographer. So am I. Me too. And me” |
Some of the places that the Big City magazine has put on the map are described as an “unorganised places for bathing“, meaning that they are not designed to be used for Epiphany dips. And I was actually thinking of going to take a few photos. Then I saw this picture (right) and remembered a Russian saying: “salvation of the drowning people is in the hands of such people themselves” (i.e. a drowning man saves himself). As we have seen a few times in photos from various events, sometimes tragic, the passion for documenting every second of the event is all-consuming. It gets to the point when the police beat up a young man, and 3 or 4 guys with cameras diligently snap every movement. So, if I go to an “unorganised place for bathing” I may well witness an accident scene because the police aren’t required to be on the spot. Worse still, I won’t be able to do much, apart from dialling 911 because I cannot swim.
Here’s the rub: once there were mere onlookers. Now onlookers have cameras and seek to document every minute detail. Previously they were idle watchers, now they are concentrated on an important task. You can no longer accuse them of standing idly because they may be honest citizen journalists who do the work. See the difference?
