Russia-Ukraine War: In October, the leadership of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine agreed to allow Ukrainians to celebrate the festival on December 25.

Ukraine celebrates Christmas every year on January 7 as do Russians. But as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine continues, some Orthodox Ukrainians are celebrating Christmas this year on December 25, like many Christians across the world. In October, the leadership of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine agreed to allow Ukrainians to celebrate the festival on December 25, Associated Press reported.

For some Ukrainians, changing the dates marks a separation from Russia, its culture and religion.
“What began on February 24, the full-scale invasion, is an awakening and an understanding that we can no longer be part of the Russian world,” Olena Paliy, a resident from Bobrytsya city, told Associated Press. In the city, some members of the faith supported the change in date within the local church and when a vote was taken last week, 200 out of 204 people voted in favour of adopting the Christmas date as December 25.

The local church in the city also recently transitioned and became a part of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, severing its ties to Russia. A local official in Bobrytsya- Roman Ivanenko- said as per Associated Press that the change in date was a big step as never in Ukraine’s history, it had the same dates for the celebration of Christmas with the whole Christian world.