2023-12-25 13:01:29
“We pray for the end of the war, we pray for victory,” says Volodymyr Zelensky, before celebrating Christmas
Nearly two years after Russia began its invasion of their country, Orthodox Ukrainians took part in religious services starting Sunday evening to celebrate Christmas on December 25, at the same time as the Western world, for the first time in their history and as a sign of defiance towards Moscow.
“We pray for the end of the war. We pray for victory”launched the president, Volodymyr Zelensky. “For peace, for justice”he continued in front of a majestic monastery which housed until the end of 2022 the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church dependent on Moscow.
This is the first time in modern history that Ukrainian Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas synchronously with Catholics, but also with Greek, Romanian and Bulgarian Orthodox, on December 25, and not on January 7 of the civil calendar as it is. This was the tradition until then. The Russian Orthodox Church has, in fact, kept the old Julian calendar for religious holidays, shifted by thirteen days.
In July, Volodymyr Zelensky formalized the move of Christmas celebrations from January 7 to December 25, a decision which was part of a series of measures taken by Ukraine to distance itself from Russia.
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