Ukraine moves the official Christmas holiday to December 25, denouncing traditions imposed by Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a law Friday moving the official Christmas holiday from Jan. 7 to Dec. 25, the day the Russian Orthodox Church observes it.

The explanatory note attached to the law says it aims to “abandon Russian heritage”, including “imposing the celebration of Christmas” on January 7. He cited the “incessant and successful struggle of Ukrainians for their identity” and “the desire of all Ukrainians to live their lives with their own traditions, festivities,” fueled by Russia’s 17-month aggression against the country.

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

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

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

The Catholic Church first adopted the astronomically more accurate modern Gregorian calendar in the 16th century. Since then, Protestants and some Orthodox churches have aligned their own calendars in order to calculate Christmas and Easter.

Ukraine’s religious landscape has been fractured for years. There is two branches of orthodox christianity in the country, one aligned with the Russian church, although enjoying wide autonomy, the other completely independent of it. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, the branch that is separate from the Russian church, announced earlier this year that it would switch to the revised Julian calendar, which marks Christmas on December 25.

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

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

Russian President Vladimir Putin told reporters on Saturday that the move “is a sign of something that has been going on for centuries” and that it “has to do with relations between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.”

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

Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for the attack, with both sides saying the attack was premeditated in an attempt to cover up the atrocities. United Nations fact-finding mission requested by Russia and Ukraine he was sent to investigate the murders, but the team disbanded in January 2023 due to security concerns.

Zelenskyy described the attack as one of Russia’s “vilest and cruelest crimes” in a video statement on Saturday.

In a separate Telegram statement, he praised soldiers in the Donetsk region for “bringing closer to the day when all our land and all our people will be free of the occupiers” and underscored the role of Special Operations Forces in the recent recovery. from town. from Staromaiorske in the area.

His visit to the east comes just days after Western and Russian officials said Kiev forces intensified attacks in the country’s southeast as part of Ukraine’s counteroffensive.

Putin said on Saturday that the intensity of Ukrainian attacks along the front line had decreased “compared to two days ago.” He reiterated that the Russian forces are successfully repelling all attacks and in some parts of the front line are even organizing successful counter-offensive operations.

___

Litvinova reported from Tallinn, Estonia.