Ukrainians celebrate Christmas today breaking away from Russian tradition
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Odesa, Ukraine: In the midst of vast devastation from the war, Ukrainian Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas on December 25 for the first time—it is a major shift.
The group attended services today after the Ukrainian government changed the date from January 7, news agency AFP reported .
The change of date is seen as a snub to Russia whose attack on the country over several months has led to thousands of deaths and vast devastation in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday that all Ukranians are together, adding that people are celebrating Christmas on the same date as one big family and as one nation.
The news agency reported that as priests held Christmas Eve services, devotees at the Cathedral of the Nativity in the southern Black Sea port of Odesa prayed.
One of the parishner, identified as Olena, said ‘We believe that we really should celebrate Christmas with the whole world, far away, far away from Moscow. For me that’s the new message now.’
The change in the tradition in Ukraine comes after Zelensky moved the celebration to December 25 departing from the Russian heritage of celebrating on January 7.
Russian’s celebrate Christmas on January 7 based on the Julian calendar while Western churches follow the Gregorian calendar, hence the difference.
Following the Russian invasion, Ukraine authorities encouraged removing Russian and Soviet Union cultural traces by renaming streets and removing monuments.
Following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine broke away from Russian Orthodox Church.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine is reportedly with the support of Ukraine authorities taking over several ‘Russia-linked’ church buildings as the group is growing faster.