In accordance with the decree signed at the end of last July by the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine is preparing to officially celebrate its first Christmas on December 25, and not on January 7 as was the case until now, and as it This is the case in Russia. A way for kyiv to break a little further with Moscow.
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This is a first since 1917. In the midst of war against Russia, Ukraine is preparing to officially celebrate Christmas on December 25, and not two weeks later (January 7) as was the tradition until then – and as Orthodox Russians do (in accordance with the Julian calendar, used in Russia). A direct consequence of a law promulgated on July 28 by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, which formalizes the move of Christmas celebrations from January 7 to December 25.
“The Ukrainian people have long been subject to Russian ideology in almost all areas of life, including the Julian calendar and the celebration of Christmas on January 7,” said the explanatory note to the text of the law approved by the deputies. However, the text continued, “the successful struggle (…) for its identity contributes to the awareness and desire of each Ukrainian to live their own life, with their own traditions, their own holidays”.
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The decision to move Christmas is part of a series of measures Ukraine has taken in recent years to distance itself from Moscow. It is “the continuation of a significant cultural shift in the country – the latest attempt to eradicate Moscow’s influence in Ukraine.” indicates the BBC website. He continues, believing that “the adoption of the Western Gregorian calendar is also a sign of kyiv’s continued desire to align with Europe.”
“We see that this Ukrainian company really wants to stand out from its Russian neighbor,” said France 24 correspondent in kyiv, Emmanuelle Chaze, on Saturday. The latter, however, recalls that already last year, many Ukrainians had made the decision to switch to the Gregorian calendar and celebrate Christmas on the night of December 24 to 25. “But here, it is ratified, in particular by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which has also changed its calendar for the first time.” “This is therefore the first time that Ukrainians will officially celebrate Christmas” on December 25, explains Emmanuelle Chaze.
The gap widens within the Orthodox world
Last July’s law also illustrates the gap that has widened between the churches of kyiv and Moscow for several years. A divide reinforced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.
Placed for several centuries under the religious supervision of Russia, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was declared autocephalous and independent of the Moscow Patriarchate in 2019. A real “schism” within the Orthodox world, occurring five years after the annexation of the Crimean peninsula by Russia and the start of the conflict in eastern Ukraine.
In May 2022, the Ukrainian Church which remained loyal to Moscow also declared its independence in reaction to the support for the war expressed by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill.
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A handful of Orthodox Churches in the world, including those in Russia and Serbia, still use the Julian calendar for their religious celebrations and not the Gregorian calendar, designed at the end of the 16th century under Pope Gregory XIII – and the papal bull “Inter Gravissimas”.
Under the Soviet Union (USSR), authorities advocated atheism, and Christmas traditions, such as Christmas trees and gift-giving, were moved to New Year’s Eve, which became the main holiday and is still for many Ukrainian families.
On Christmas Eve, Ukrainians have a tradition of sitting at the table in the evening with 12 meatless dishes, including “koutia”, a dessert composed of boiled wheat grains, honey, raisins, crushed walnuts and poppy seeds.
With AFP
