(19 Jan 2012) SHOTLIST
1. Wide of people gathered around priest as he blesses water for the baptism ceremony
2. Close up of bible being read by priest
3. Priest leading ceremony
4. Low angle of believer dunking himself in icy water as priest watches
5. Mid of woman jumping into the water and crossing herself
6. Close up cutaway of head bobbing in and out of water.
7. George Gagloyev, Engineer at Petroleum Company drying himself off
8. Close of Gagloyev's crucifix necklace
9. SOUNDBITE (English) George Gagloyev, 24, Engineer at Petroleum Company:
"The best part about the holiday is you actually have to believe if you go inside the water, you have to be clean, after that. So before you had a lot of dirty things inside in your previous experiences but after coming out, you have to be a cleaner person who is more devoted, who's ready to behave properly as it is like."
10. Close up of bare feet on the snow
11. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Ivan Alekseiv, 25, local worker:
"Only today the water becomes holy. The holiday is very pleasant and important because this event only happens once a year. It means a lot to us."
12. Man ducking up and down in the water
13. Mid shot upward angle of woman being led into the water and immersing herself
14. Close up of man breathing after he got out of water - steam is seen coming off his body
15. Mid shot of steaming man drying himself off
16. Wide of scene
STORYLINE
Russian Orthodox Christians showed their devotion to Christ by bravely plunging into icy waters in a baptism ceremony to celebrate the epiphany.
Dozens of people gathered in sub-zero temperatures at the Kapchagai reservoir to take part in the event.
A priest blessed the water before the hardy few headed into the frozen waters.
There were a few screams of shock at the cold, but George Gagloyev a petroleum worker said it had been a cleansing experience.
"The best part about the holiday is you actually have to believe if you go inside the water, you have to be clean, after that. So before you had a lot of dirty things inside in your previous experiences but after coming out, you have to be a cleaner person who is more devoted," he said.
The reservoir lies in the small village of Nikhailovka, 60 kilometres outside the Kazakh financial capital of Almaty.
The Russian Orthodox faithful believe that holy water blessed on the Epiphany has special healing qualities.
For Western Christians, the Epiphany festival celebrates the Three Wise Men visiting Jesus, but Orthodox Christians in Russia and Serbia celebrate it as the anniversary of the baptism of Jesus Christ.
Kazakhstan, a resource-rich former Soviet republic ,is home to over 5 (m) million Russian Orthodox Christians.
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