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Author Topic: Ukraine gets two Christmases – December 25 and January 7  (Read 3337 times)

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Offline JayH

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Ukraine gets two Christmases – December 25 and January 7
« on: November 17, 2017, 11:49:18 PM »
Ukrainian lawmakers have voted to make December 25, celebrated as Christmas by the majority of the world’s Christians, as an official state holiday, besides January 7. This means that, starting from 2017, Ukraine will officially celebrate two Christmases. On the same day, the MPs voted to deprive May 2 of its holiday status, so Ukrainians will still have the same number of state holidays in a year – 11.

Prior to that, Ukraine had an official state holiday for Christmas only on 7 January, which, despite being known as the “Orthodox Christmas,” is observed only by 56% of the world’s Orthodox Christians (and 6.6% of all Christians), who use the older calendar of Julius Caesar (also known as the Julian calendar) instead of the one developed by Pope Gregory XIII in 1582 (the Gregorian calendar), used by most countries today.



Ukraine gets two Christmases – December 25 and January 7





The Gregorian calendar was introduced because the Julian one wasn’t accurate enough. takes into account the inaccuracy of the Julian calendar, which was 11 minutes longer than the astronomical one. Those “extra” 11 minutes amounted to one extra day each 128 years, which is the reason why the Julian calendar lags behind the Gregorian one by 14 days. The Orthodox Patriarch of Constantinople made plans to transition to the new improved Catholic calendar, but it never happened. Hence, up till 1918, Ukraine, as part of the Orthodox Russian empire, lived by the Julian calendar. In 1918, the switch was made and 16 February became 1 March overnight. However, not for the Church, which continued living by the Julian calendar, while the rest of the world was 14 days ahead.



Last year, a draft bill on making 25 December a state holiday alongside 7 January had been registered in parliament, and now came the vote. In it, Ukraine is following in the footsteps of other Orthodox countries. Moldova, Belarus, Albania have two state holidays – on December 25, as well as January 7. This allows citizens to choose when to celebrate one of the largest Church holidays, with the tendency being the new date replacing the old date. Additionally, this holiday is respectful towards Ukrainian Catholics and Protestants who celebrate Christmas on the 25th but don’t have the privilege of an official day off.

Discussions on whether Orthodox Christians should switch to the Gregorian calendar and celebrate Christmas together with most other Christians are ongoing in Ukraine. Some celebrate this idea as a movement away from Russia and towards the West. Some see it as a move towards Christian unity. Some people say Ukraine should not have official days off for religious holidays at all. Some say that Ukraine should make Islamic holidays state holidays too.

But not everyone is enthusiastic about the new holiday. Apart from the Orthodox church conservatives who are not pleased with prospects of being closer to the Catholic, and western world, some are worried that Ukraine’s Christmas traditions may be at risk. In Ukraine, the most boisterous partygoing and consumerist present-giving takes place on New Year’s Eve. Christmas on January 7, on the contrary, is usually celebrated with family, over a vegetarian supper with highly traditional food the recipes of which are said to be millennia old. The meal itself is a highly symbolic ritual, with 12 dishes symbolizing the 12 Apostles of Christ, and episodes like leaving food for the spirits of the ancestors, who are believed to come to the great family gathering on this special day. In the meantime, carolers bring tidings of the good news of Christ’s birth to each family at the table.

http://euromaidanpress.com/2017/11/18/ukraine-will-now-celebrate-christmas-on-december-25-and-january-7/
SLAVA UKRAYINI  ! HEROYAM SLAVA!!!!
Слава Украине! Слава героям слава!Слава Україні! Слава героям!
 translated as: Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes!!!  is a Ukrainian greeting slogan being used now all over Ukraine to signify support for a free independent Ukraine

Offline mendeleyev

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Re: Ukraine gets two Christmases – December 25 and January 7
« Reply #1 on: January 01, 2018, 05:28:16 AM »
Jay, as I am sure you know, most of Ukraine has always had two Christmas dates due to the Roman Catholic presence there. It has just never been "official" as a holiday until now.

Ukraine has joined neighboring Belarus in recognizing both dates. Belarus, like Ukraine, has a substantial RC population and in part due to the changing national boundaries with nations like Poland, and others in the past.
The Mendeleyev Journal. http://mendeleyevjournal.com Member: Congress of Russian Journalists; ЖУРНАЛИСТЫ.RU (Journalist-Russia); ЖУРНАЛИСТЫ.UA (Journalist-Ukraine); ЖУРНАЛИСТЫ.KZ (Journalist-Kazakhstan); ПОРТАЛ ЖУРНАЛИСТОВ (Portal of RU-UA Journalists); Просто Журналисты ("Just Journalists").

Offline Boethius

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Re: Ukraine gets two Christmases – December 25 and January 7
« Reply #2 on: January 01, 2018, 04:31:25 PM »
Hi Mendy,

Nice to see you back!

I just wanted to clarify, that before 1939 there was a significant Roman Catholic presence in Western Ukraine because of its Polish population.  Poles at that time were about 35% of the population (3 million).  However, ethnic Ukrainians were rarely Roman Catholic, they were Greek Catholic (Uniate).  After WWII, the Polish population of Western Ukraine was almost wiped out.  Greek Cathlics follow the Julian calendar, and also celebrate Christmas on January 7.  Their rites are largely Eastern, though administratively, they fall under the Catholic Church's jurisdiction.  Western Ukrainian believers are still predominantly Greek Catholic.

In Central Ukraine, the Polish presence was concentrated in Kyiv, which, before the Bolshevik Revolution had a huge Polish population, and a couple of spectacular cathedrals.  Belarus, as well, had a large Polish population.

As of 2016, less than 1% of Ukraine's believers were Roman Catholic.
« Last Edit: January 01, 2018, 05:04:14 PM by Boethius »
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