Ukraine Celebrates First Christmas On Dec 25 In 100 Years As It Breaks Away From Russian Tradition

On Christmas Eve, the Ukrainian President said all Ukrainians were now together. "We all celebrate Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country."

For the first time in over 100 years, Ukraine is celebrating Christmas on December 25 with the rest of the world as it ditched the traditionally used Julian calendar, also used by Russia. According to this, Christmas falls on January 7. However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky changed the law in July, breaking away from Russian tradition and said it allowed Ukrainians to "abandon the Russian heritage" of celebrating Christmas in January, reported BBC.

While Russia and the West use the Gregorian calendar, Russia follows the Julian calendar for certain religious practices, the VoA reported. Now, Kyiv's decision signals its continuing effort to align itself with Europe.

On Christmas Eve, Zelensky said all Ukrainians were now together. "We all celebrate Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country," he said, quoted BBC.

Reacting to the news, Ukrainian couple Lesia Shestakova, a Catholic, and Oleksandr Shestakov, an Orthodox believer said that distancing the country from Russian religious and cultural traditions will help strengthen Ukraine even more.

They will celebrate Christmas together for the first time. According to Reuters, Lesia, Oleksandr and their children used to celebrate Christmas twice -- first with Lesia's parents in December and then with Oleksandr’s parents in January.

"There is finally a day in Ukraine which my husband and I can spend together in the cathedral and thank God that we are together, alive and in good health," Lesia told Reuters as the couple attended the morning service at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Alexander in Kyiv.

According to a report in BBC, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), a newly created independent church that held its first service in 2019, also changed its Christmas date to 25 December, formally breaking away from the Russian Orthodox Church over Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its support for separatists in eastern Ukraine.