Ukraine moves Christmas celebration date to distinguish itself from Russia

(Patria) - Ukraine has moved its official state holiday of Christmas from January 7 to December 25, in the latest move aimed at distancing itself from Russia. Kyiv has been severing religious, cultural and other ties with Russia in recent years, aligning itself with the West. The process has escalated following Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022, the BBC reported.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy signed a parliamentary law aimed at "abandoning the Russian heritage of imposing Christmas celebrations". He signed the law after it was passed by Ukrainian lawmakers. The law also moves two other state holidays, Ukraine's Statehood Day, from July 28 to July 15, and Defenders Day, which commemorates veterans of the armed forces, from October 14 to October 1.

In 2019, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine was granted independence from the Russian Orthodox Church by Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the spiritual leader of Orthodox Christians worldwide. That move provoked outrage from the Russian church, which openly defends the invasion of Ukraine. Until this year, the Ukrainian church, like several other Orthodox churches, including the Russian one, celebrated Christmas on January 7, according to the Julian calendar. The Ukrainian church has now officially switched to the more accurate Gregorian calendar used in most parts of the world.

Ukraine's decision to change the date of Christmas is the country's latest step to distance itself from Russia. Cities and villages across Ukraine have recently renamed their streets associated with Russian and Soviet historical figures.

A large number of monuments have been demolished, and Russian films made after 2014 have been banned in Ukraine. These measures followed Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in March 2014.