Christmas will not be celebrated on December 25 this year in Ukraine, where the war with Russia continues. Instead, the Christmas holiday will be on January 7, 2024. The celebration date was symbolically changed to differentiate it from Russia.
The government of Ukraine issued an order last July changing the date. This is seen as a backlash against Russia and the Russian Orthodox Church, which follows the Roman-era Julian calendar.
Changing the date, President Zelensky said Ukraine would live independently with its own traditions and holidays. Ukraine’s move to celebrate Christmas follows a series of measures, including renaming streets and removing monuments linked to the former Soviet Union.
Christianity is the most practiced religion in Ukraine. The Russian Orthodox Church plays a major role in their lives.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which started in 2019, has also volunteered to change the date of Christmas. They split from the Russian Orthodox Church in protest of Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatists in Ukraine. With the arrival of the new church, churches related to Russia were taken over with the help of the government and priests and others became part of the church.
Meanwhile, the Greek Catholic Church in the country will hold Christmas celebrations on December 25 itself. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine will begin on February 24, 2022.
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2023-12-24 15:29:31
