For the first time, Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on December 25. Until now, the country followed the Russian Orthodox calendar and celebrated it on January 7.
While Ukraine has been at war since February 24, 2022, the government has made a historic decision. For the first time, Christmas is celebrated there on December 25. Until now, it was celebrated on January 7, as required by the Russian Orthodox calendar. A very symbolic decision, intended to distance itself from Russia and get closer to the Western world. Orthodox practitioners therefore aligned themselves with Catholics, as did the Romanian, Greek and Bulgarian Orthodox.
This was already the wish of Ukrainians last year, in 2022, but the government had not officially made the decision. This was taken this summer, along with several other measures aimed at distancing itself from Russia. The opportunity for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to speak. “We pray for the end of the war. We pray for victory,” he said. He also called for “peace and justice”, from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, a monastery which housed, until the end of 2022, the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which depended on Moscow .
At the same time, explosions took place in the Kherson region. “The coastal area is under fire” from Russian forces, announced the head of the military administration, Roman Mrochko, on Telegram. The General Staff of the Ukrainian army announced that it had shot down 28 of the 30 drones that Moscow had launched towards Ukraine.
