(Kryvorivnia) Christmas had more than spiritual significance for many Ukrainians this year, as the country recently celebrated it as a public holiday on December 25 rather than the later date followed in Russia.
This change, enacted in a law signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in July, reflects both Ukrainians’ dismay at the 22-month-old Russian invasion and their affirmation of a national identity.
Ukraine is predominantly Orthodox Christian, but the faith is divided between two churches, one of which has long been affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which did not recognize the authority of the Russian Church and was considered schismatic, was fully recognized in 2019 by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the highest authority in Orthodoxy.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which was a branch of the Russian Church, announced in 2022, after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War, that it was severing ties with Moscow and considering itself autonomous. However, its parishes continue to follow the same liturgical calendar as the Russian Church, and will therefore celebrate Christmas on January 7.
Many Ukrainians enthusiastically welcomed the decision to celebrate Christmas on December 25.
“This is historic justice,” said Yevhen Konyk, a 44-year-old soldier who, with his family, took part in the traditional celebrations at an open-air museum in Kyiv. “We must move forward not only with the world, but also with the traditions of our country and overcome the imperial vestiges that we had,” he added.
PHOTO THOMAS PETER, REUTERS
Ukrainian servicemen sing during a Christmas service near the front line in the Donetsk region.
In the village of Kryvorivnia, thousands of worshipers, many wearing traditional costumes including embroidered shirts called vyshyvankas, filled the streets and gathered en masse toward the village’s famous, elaborate wooden church.
Kryvorivnia, in the Carpathian Mountains, is about 800 kilometers west of the front line, but the war was on the minds of the faithful. “People not only came to watch the celebration, they came to pray,” said local priest Ivan Rybaruk, who said 16 people from this village of just 1,500 inhabitants had died in the fighting.
“People understand that we live here as safely as possible. Missiles don’t fly here, bombs don’t explode, but we lost a lot of people,” said Olha Mynykh, 27, outside the house of a missing soldier.
PHOTO SERGEI SUPINSKY, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
A Ukrainian serviceman holds his daughter in his arms as they take part in the Christmas celebration in the village of Pyrogove, near Kyiv.
“People don’t feel that kind of joy. Of course, they feel joy because of Christmas, because it is impossible not to feel the light of God in the heart. But the scale and nature of the celebration has clearly changed. It’s not as happy and fun as before. »
Oksana Poviakel, director of the Pyrohiv Museum of Folk Architecture and Daily Life in Kyiv, where the Christmas celebrations took place, said observing the holiday on Dec. 25 is “another important factor in self-identification”.
“We separate ourselves from the neighbor who is currently trying to destroy our state, who is killing our people, destroying our homes and burning our lands,” she said.
Asia Landarenko, 63, said she prays every day for her son, currently in the military. “The state of war affects everything, including the atmosphere. The real celebration of Christmas will be after the victory, but as the Savior is born, so will our victory,” she said.