Current:Home > MyUkraine snubs Russia, celebrates Christmas on Dec. 25 for first time -Thrive Financial Network
Ukraine snubs Russia, celebrates Christmas on Dec. 25 for first time
View
Date:2025-04-13 00:56:57
Ukrainian Orthodox Christians attended services on Sunday as the country for the first time celebrated Christmas on Dec. 25, after the government changed the date from Jan. 7, when most Orthodox believers celebrate, as a snub to Russia.
"All Ukrainians are together," said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a Christmas message released Sunday evening. "We all celebrate Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country."
In the southern Black Sea port of Odesa, churchgoers prayed and lit candles as priests in gold vestments held Christmas Eve service in the Cathedral of the Nativity, decorated with fir trees and a nativity scene
"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," said one smiling parishioner, Olena, whose son is a medic on the front line.
"We really want to celebrate in a new way. This is a holiday with the whole of Ukraine, with our independent Ukraine. This is very important for us," she told AFP.
Most eastern Christian churches use the Julian calendar, in which Christmas falls on Jan. 7, rather than the Gregorian calendar used in everyday life and by Western churches.
Separately, Ukraine's air force said it shot down 28 Russian drones out of 31 launched from the annexed Crimea peninsula on Monday as well as had also shot down two Russian missiles and two fighter jets.
Zelenskyy signed a law in July moving the celebration to Dec. 25, saying it enabled Ukrainians to "abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations on January 7."
The date change is part of hastened moves since Russia's invasion to remove traces of the Russian and Soviet empires. Other measures include renaming streets and removing monuments.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine formally broke away from the Russian Orthodox Church over Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The political rift has seen priests and even entire parishes switch from one church to another, with the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine growing fast and taking over several Russia-linked church buildings, moves supported by the government.
On Sunday evening, worshippers packed St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv — the headquarters of the new independent church — for a Christmas service led by the primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Yepifaniy.
Ukrainians around the country voiced support for the Christmas date change.
"We wanted to support what is happening in Ukraine now. Because changes are always difficult, and when these changes occur, more people are needed to support it in order for something new to happen," said Denis, a young man attending church in Odesa.
At Kyiv's Golden-Domed Monastery, Oksana Krykunova said that for her, after the invasion, it was "natural to switch to the 25th."
She added: "I just visited my parents — my 81-year-old mother and 86-year-old father — and they accepted it absolutely (normally)."
In the western city of Lviv, which has been little damaged by the war, Taras Kobza, an army medic, said "We have to join the civilized world."
Tetiana, a singer in a traditional music group called Yagody (berries), agreed, saying, "I'm very happy that we are finally celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas together with the rest of the world. It's really cool."
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has also opted to hold Christmas services on Dec. 25.
But the historically Russia-linked Ukrainian Orthodox Church is keeping the Jan. 7 Christmas date. This church claims to have cut ties with Russia because of the war but many Ukrainians are sceptical.
Under the Soviet Union, atheism was encouraged and Christmas traditions such as trees and gifts were shifted to New Year's Eve, which became the main holiday.
Ukrainian Christmas traditions include a dinner on Christmas Eve with 12 meatless dishes including a sweet grain pudding called kutya.
People decorate homes with elaborate sheaves of wheat called didukh. Celebrations also include singing carols called kolyadky, carrying decorations in the shape of stars and performing nativity scenes.
- In:
- Ukraine
- Christmas
- Russia
veryGood! (28)
Related
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- MLB power rankings: Braves and Mets to sprint for playoff lives in NL wild card race
- Bruce Springsteen’s Wife Patti Scialfa Shares Blood Cancer Diagnosis
- Olympian Abbey Weitzeil Answers Swimming Beauty Questions You’ve Wondered About & Shares $6 Must-Haves
- Israel lets Palestinians go back to northern Gaza for first time in over a year as cease
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Walk the Plank
- Disney Launches 2024 Family Holiday Pajamas: Unwrap the Magic With Must-Have Styles for Everyone
- Billie Jean King wants to help carve 'pathway' for MLB's first female player
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- 'Perfect Couple' stars Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber talk shocking finale
Ranking
- Selena Gomez's "Weird Uncles" Steve Martin and Martin Short React to Her Engagement
- ‘I’m living a lie': On the streets of a Colorado city, pregnant migrants struggle to survive
- JonBenét Ramsey's Dad John Ramsey Says DNA in 27-Year Cold Case Still Hasn’t Been Tested
- Horoscopes Today, September 9, 2024
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- The Daily Money: All mortgages are not created equal
- 'Devastated': Communities mourn death of Air Force cadet, 19; investigation launched
- Bruce Springsteen’s Wife Patti Scialfa Shares Blood Cancer Diagnosis
Recommendation
Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
32 things we learned in NFL Week 1: Top players, teams make opening statements
Why The Bear Star Will Poulter's Fitness Transformation Has Everyone Saying Yes, Chef
As summer winds down, dogs around the country make a splash: See pictures of doggy dip days
How to watch the 'Blue Bloods' Season 14 finale: Final episode premiere date, cast
Stellantis recalls over 1.2M Ram 1500 pickup trucks in the US
10 Tough Climate Questions for the Presidential Debate
Cowboys demolish Browns to continue feel-good weekend after cementing Dak Prescott deal