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It is a choice related to repeated blessing of the “special operation” of Russian President Vladimir Putin by the Orthodox Patriarchate of Moscow, headed by Kirill, who has always claimed his sovereignty on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Nonetheless, the patriarch did not hesitate to read in the war an unrepeatable opportunity to teach a lesson to a Ukraine in the hands – according to him – of the Nazis and the lgbtq+ lobbies, whatever the cost. A position that, within Christianity, Pope Francis has always rejected forcefully and repeatedly, trying in vain to make Kirill think, reiterating to him that “the Church must not use the language of politics, but the language of Jesus”.

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New calendar

And so, in the wake of a schism already mentioned before the Russian invasion, many Ukrainians promised to celebrate Christmas on December 25 instead of January 7. Or maybe on both dates, so as not to upset the more traditionalist relatives too much. Families split up, argue, tear apart. It also depends a lot from the territories: in oblast of Lviv, Ternopil and Ivano-Frankivsk, those further west, the more nationalist, bordering on Poland, where Greek Catholics are a relative majority and one in ten Roman Catholics, the change was quite natural. Even in the suburbs of Kyiv many villages voted, after a quick consultation, for theadoption of 25 December as a new day to celebrate Christmas.

In areas further east or in the south, bordering those under occupation, on the other hand, January 7 resists and above all disinterest: Christmas matters relatively little, and the New Year is celebrated much more. It is however a big step, the one in progress, because a separation with the rest of the Christian world that had lasted for centuries is recomposed, and the breaking of a bond with the Russians, also a secular one, is sanctioned. The choice of dates inevitably has clear political overtones, and seemingly slight revisions of rituals can have powerful significance in a culture war that runs parallel to gun warfare.

Resistance remains strong. According to a poll published by the site EuroMaidan Pressstrongly anti-Russian and pro-government, only 11% of Ukrainians celebrate Christmas on December 25tha quarter celebrate both December 25 and January 7, and over half celebrate it on January 7.

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An age-old division

The division on Christmas is a classic of socialist history, which does not only concern countries in direct conflict. There Romanian Orthodox Church, for example, formally switched to the “Revised Julian Calendar” a century ago, so Christmas in December is both a liturgical standard and an established popular tradition. Not so in nearby Moldovawhich is one of five countries where December 25 and January 7 are both public holidays.

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