KYIV — Ukraine has moved its official Christmas holiday to December 25 in a break with the Russian Orthodox Church which celebrates it on January 7, according to legislation passed on Friday.
The bill signed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky highlights the deepening rift between churches in Kyiv and Moscow since Russia’s invasion of its pro-Western neighbor.
“The relentless and successful struggle for their identity contributes to… the desire of every Ukrainian to live their own life with their own traditions and holidays,” according to an explanatory note to the bill on the parliament’s website.
The purpose of the law was to “abandon the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations on January 7,” the note said.
Ukraine had been under Moscow’s spiritual leadership since at least the 17th century but part of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church broke with Moscow in 2019 over Russia’s annexation of Crimea and support for separatists in the east of their country.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the
terms
The Russia-backed branch of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church also said it had severed ties with Moscow in May 2022.
The decision to move Christmas is the latest in a series of steps taken by Ukraine in recent years to distance itself from Moscow, such as renaming streets and towns named after Soviet figures.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
