Ukraine celebrates first Christmas on December 25
Ukraine is celebrating its first ever Christmas on December 25 to “break free” from Russia, international press reported on Monday.
Ukraine has used the Julian calendar, also used by Russia, for centuries.
In this calendar, Christmas falls on the seventh of January.
Ukraine is now marking Christmas according to the Western – or Gregorian – calendar, to be celebrated on the 25th of December.
The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this change in July, because it will allow Ukrainians to “abandon the Russian heritage” of celebrating Christmas in January.
Zelensky said in a Christmas message on Sunday that all Ukrainians are now together.
“We all celebrate Christmas together. On the same date, as one big family, as one nation, as one united country.”
As Ukraine celebrates the birth of Jesus, Zelensky has earlier supported the war on Palestinians, in the holy land where Jesus was born.
