Ukraine Celebrates Christmas on December 25 After a Century

For the first time since 1917, people across Ukraine came together to celebrate Christmas on December 25th, as opposed to the usual date of January 7th, which Russia follows. To understand why this change of event holds substantial importance to the Ukrainians, we need to brush up on the country’s history with Christmas and the Russian influence over it. 

Before 1917, Christmas was a part of Ukrainian culture and tradition which was celebrated joyfully on December 25th, according to the Gregorian calendar that we all follow. However, in 1922, Ukraine became a part of the Soviet Union. Due to the anti-religious approach of the Soviet Union, Ukrainians were discouraged from celebrating Christmas along with all other traditional festivals of Ukraine.

The Soviet Union followed the Julian Calendar, which is used by Russia even today. According to the Julian Calendar, Christmas falls on January 7th. In 1991, after the Soviet Union was dissolved, Christmas started being celebrated again in Ukraine. But the date remained January 7th.

This year, on September 1, the Ukrainian Catholic Church switched back to the Gregorian calendar. Hence, Ukraine celebrated Christmas on December 25th after more than a century. This was also an attempt at breaking free from the influence of Russia.