A German tourist braved freezing conditions in Oymyakon, one of the coldest inhabited settlements in the world, on Thursday, as he took an icy dip into the river while air temperatures stood at -50° Celsius (-58° Fahrenheit). Ice-dipping is a long-held tradition among Orthodox Christians, for Epiphany Day, which is observed on January 19th in the Orthodox calender. It celebrates the baptism of Jesus Christ and is said to cleanse and purify the plunger.