Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: We have waited 60 years at the doorstep of the European Union. We are no longer waiting.
Al Mayadeen correspondent: One civilian martyred, another injured by Saudi Arabia's armed forces in Saada, Yemen.
The Turkish authorities have banned media from broadcasting at the scene of an attempted terrorist attack that hit the capital near Parliament earlier.
An explosion and gunfire heard in Turkey’s capital Ankara near the parliament and the ministries.
US House 45-day stopgap funding bill with no aid for Ukraine gets enough votes.
Armenia quickly denied the allegations of killing an Azerbaijani soldier, saying the claim its forces had opened fire on Azerbaijani positions "does not correspond to reality".
Azerbaijan says a soldier was killed by a sniper on the Armenian border.
White House: The US is monitoring a troubling Serbian military deployment along the border of Kosovo that is causing tensions.
White House: Serbia and Kosovo must fulfill their commitments and avoid taking any provocative steps.
White House spokesperson John Kirby urges Serbia to withdraw its forces from its borders with Kosovo.

Ukraine to celebrate Christmas with 'civilized world, but not Moscow'

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: Agencies
  • 14 Jul 2023 21:57
  • x

The Ukrainian Parliament approves a bill to change Christmas from January 7 to December 25 to "abandon [...] the Russian heritage."

  • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, stands next to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, July 8, 2023. (AP)
    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, left, stands next to Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, the spiritual leader of the world's Orthodox Christians, at the Patriarchal Church of St. George in Istanbul, Turkey, Saturday, July 8, 2023 (AP)

Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada adopted Friday almost unanimously Law No. 9431, which denotes that the parliament changed the dates of three holidays, among which is Christmas, with the purpose of moving away from Russia.

People's Deputy of Ukraine Yaroslav Zheleznyak reported that the law changing the date of Christmas from December 25 to January 7, Ukrainian Statehood Day from July 28 to July 15, and the Day of Defenders of Ukraine and the Day of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos from October 14 to October 1, will go into effect starting September 1st.

Zheleznyak noted that "This law will be signed after July 28, so the Day of Ukrainian Statehood will be July 28 this month."

Multiple Ukrainian news websites also underscored that the law supported by 241 deputies in total serves as means of "abandonment of the Russian heritage."

The draft bill was put forward by Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelensky on June 28 as he urged to “abandon the Russian heritage…, reject Russian traditions, and fortify national unity in Ukraine.”

Read more: How the war on the Moscow Patriarchate is a war on collective identity

It is worth noting that the date changes follow the Georgian calendar as opposed to the Julian Calendar, which Russian Orthodox churches and many Eastern Christian denominations continue to follow.

Related News

'Idiots' in NATO countries pushing world to WWIII, says Medvedev

‘Not a single round for Ukraine’ Slovakia’s Fico wins parliament

The Kiev-backed Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was granted a tomos of autocephaly (decree of ecclesial independence) on January 5, 2019, but remained only been partially-recognized as canonical, will now celebrate Christmas alongside Western Catholics and Protestants said RT. 

Ukrainian MP Irina Gerashchenko via Telegram slammed Russia and Eastern Orthodox denominations as uncivilized as she wrote “Now Ukrainians – Orthodox and Catholics – will celebrate holidays with the whole civilized world, but not with Moscow.”

However, the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) and the Russian Orthodox Church will continue to celebrate Christmas on January 7 and other liturgical holidays will remain unchanged unlike those of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine which will be affected such as Saint Nicholas Day and Epiphany.

UOC bishops in Kiev say they feel threatened by OCU

This comes after the Ukrainian authorities ordered the UOC to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the Bishops of the UOC expressed that they felt threatened by the supporters of the partially-recognized OCU. 

Bishop Gedeon, also given the name Yuriy Kharon, of Makarov, told Sputnik that "all my friends and acquaintances that I talk to feel threatened because the churches are being taken away from them. And what could be more threatening than them coming to you and taking away what belongs to the Church of Christ? And they don't take it away for anyone, they take it away for nothing. No one goes there, they don't even have parishioners."

According to the bishop, Kiev is not simply trying to drive the canonical UOC out of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, but their task is to transfer the Lavra to the schismatic OCU.

Moreover, Kharon explained that "[The Ukrainian authorities'] very task is to transfer [the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra] to the OCU. After all, they do need some kind of Church. They cannot position themselves as theomachists or atheists, although they are, but they cannot say so openly, they do it through the OCU," he said.

Read more: Kirill: Russia, Ukraine are one nation, church persecution 'pathetic'

  • Russia
  • Oculus
  • Orthodox Church
  • Volodymyr Zelensky
  • Russian Orthodox Church
  • UOC
  • Ukraine
  • Ukrainian Orthodox Church
Russia & NATO

Russia & NATO

As the Draconian Western-led sanctions on Russia exacerbate the economic crisis worldwide, and as Russian troops gain more ground despite the influx of military aid into Ukraine, exposing US direct involvement in bio-labs spread across Eastern Europe and the insurgence of neo-Nazi groups… How will things unfold?

Most Read

BBC from the front lines in Ukraine: It's bad, counteroffensive failed

BBC from the front lines in Ukraine: It's bad, counteroffensive failed

  • Europe
  • 28 Sep 2023
Zelensky joins Canadian Parliament’s ovation to WWII Nazi soldier

Zelensky joins Canadian Parliament’s ovation to WWII Nazi soldier

  • US & Canada
  • 25 Sep 2023
Who Would Ally with the West: ‘It’s Boring – The Real Excitement is in Asia’

Who Would Ally with the West: ‘It’s Boring – The Real Excitement is in Asia’

  • Analysis
  • 30 Sep 2023
How Hezbollah Burnt the Naqab Forest, The Abbassiye Landing Operation

Al Mayadeen documentary: How Hezbollah burnt the IOF's Naqab Forest

  • MENA
  • 24 Sep 2023

Coverage

All
Morocco & Libya Disasters

Read Next

All
sd
MENA

Islamic unity vital to counter US, Israeli plots, aggression: Raisi

DPRK flag
Asia

DPRK assimilates NATO, US alliance with Japan, South Korea to cancer

President Joe Biden signs H.J.Res.100, a bill that aims to avert a freight rail strike, in the Roosevelt Room at the White House, Friday, Dec. 2, 2022, in Washington. (AP)
US & Canada

Biden signs 45-day spending bill averting government shutdown

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell speaks with the media as he arrives for an EU summit at the European Council building in Brussels, Thursday, June 29, 2023. (AP)n Ukrainian Port
Europe

Borrell sheds crocodile tears over Odessa after slew of drone attacks

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS