Ukraine joins global Christmas tradition: Parliament approves bill to move festivities to December 25
The Ukrainian parliament, Verkhovna Rada, changed the dates of Christmas, Ukrainian Statehood Day, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine.
Yaroslav Zhelezniak, an MP from the Voice parliamentary faction, reported this on the Telegram messaging app. According to him, the adoption of the law "On Amendments to Article 73 of the Labor Code of Ukraine" (draft law No. 9431) was supported by 241 MPs.
From now on, Christmas will be officially celebrated in Ukraine on December 25 instead of January 7 (Gregorian calendar). Ukrainian Statehood Day and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine are also connected to religious dates — the Day of Kyiv Rus Baptism and Intercession of the Theotokos — and will be moved. Corresponding changes are made to Article 73 of the Labor Code of Ukraine.
Background
Russian ideology was imposed on the Ukrainian people for a long time in almost all spheres of life, including the observance of the Julian calendar and the celebration of Christmas on January 7. Christmas is a great Christian holiday. It is an integral part of the Ukrainian culture. Most of the world's Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25.
In the conditions of full-scale armed aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the powerful revival of the Ukrainian nation continues. The ceaseless successful struggle for one's identity contributes to the inner awareness and desire of every Ukrainian to live their own life with their own traditions, holidays, etc.
President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted the relevant bill to the Verkhovna Rada on June 28. "The purpose of the draft law is to abandon the Russian heritage of imposing the celebration of Christmas on January 7 and setting the date of the celebration of Christmas on December 25," Zelensky said.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) will switch to the New Julian calendar on September 1, 2023, so most Ukrainian Christians will begin celebrating religious holidays according to the new calendar. Christmas will be celebrated on December 25 instead of January 7, St. Nicholas Day on December 6 instead of December 19, and Epiphany on January 6 instead of January 18. At the same time, the date of Easter and some other holidays will not change.
