Ukraine moves Christmas Day holiday to December 25, denouncing Russian-imposed traditions

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to December 25 from January 7
The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to ‘abandon the Russian heritage,’ including that of ‘imposing the celebration of Christmas’ on January 7

Ukraine war

Associated Press

Published: 3:33am, 30 Jul, 2023

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Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday signed a law moving the official Christmas Day holiday to December 25 from January 7, the day when the Russian Orthodox Church observes it.

The explanatory note attached to the law said its goal is to “abandon the Russian heritage,” including that of “imposing the celebration of Christmas” on January 7, and cited Ukrainians’ “relentless, successful struggle for their identity” and “the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, holidays,” fuelled by Russia’s 17-month-old aggression against the country.

Last year, some Ukrainians already observed Christmas on December 25, in a gesture that represented separation from Russia, its culture and religious traditions.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky near Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine on Saturday. Photo: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service / Handout

The law also moves the Day of Ukrainian Statehood to July 15 from July 28, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine to October 1 from October 14.

The Russian Orthodox Church, which claims sovereignty over Orthodoxy in Ukraine, and some other Eastern Orthodox churches continue to use the ancient Julian calendar. Christmas falls 13 days later on that calendar, or January 7, than it does on the Gregorian calendar used by most church and secular groups.

The Catholic Church first adopted the modern, more astronomically precise Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Protestants and some Orthodox churches have since aligned their own calendars for the purpose of calculating Christmas and Easter.

Ukraine’s religious landscape has fractured for years. There are two branches of Orthodox Christianity in the country, one aligned with the Russian church, even as it enjoys broad autonomy, the other completely independent of it. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, the branch that is separate from the Russian church, announced earlier this year that it was switching to the Revised Julian calendar, which marks Christmas on December 25.

Its leadership last year allowed believers to celebrate the holiday on December 25.

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Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported on Saturday that the rival Orthodox Church, which is aligned with the Russian Orthodox Church, vowed to continue observing Christmas on January 7.

Zelensky on Saturday travelled to the war-torn Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has illegally annexed, but only partially occupies, and met members of the country’s Special Operation Forces. Zelensky noted in an online statement that Saturday marks their official day of recognition and also the anniversary of the deadly attack on the Olenivka prison in the Russian-held part of the region in which dozens of prisoners of war were killed.

Russia and Ukraine accused each other of the attack, with both sides saying that the assault was premeditated in a bid to cover up atrocities. A United Nations fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine was sent to investigate the killings, but the team was disbanded in January 2023 over security concerns.

Zelensky described the attack as one of Russia’s “most vile and cruel crimes” in a video statement on Saturday.

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Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia is set to host talks in August about Ukraine, inviting Western states, Ukraine and major developing countries including India and Brazil, the Wall Street Journal newspaper reported on Saturday.

The meeting would bring senior officials from up to 30 countries, including Indonesia, Egypt, Mexico, Chile and Zambia, to Jeddah on August 5 and 6, the report said, citing diplomats involved in the discussion.

Ukraine and Western officials hope that the talks, which exclude Russia, can lead to international backing for peace terms favouring Ukraine, it said.

The Kremlin, which claims to have annexed around a sixth of Ukraine, has said it views peace talks with Ukraine as possible only if Kyiv accepts “new realities”, a reference to its territorial claims. Kyiv says negotiations with Russia would be possible only after Moscow withdraws its troops.

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Among the invited countries, it is not yet clear how many will attend, although countries that took part in a similar round of talks in Copenhagen, Denmark in June are expected to do so again, the report said.

Britain, South Africa, Poland and the European Union are among those who have confirmed attendance and the US national security adviser Jake Sullivan is expected to attend, it added.

Additional reporting by Reuters