Turchynov proposes changing date of Christmas in Ukraine
Secretary of the National Security Service of Ukraine, Aleksandr Turchynov, has proposed changing the date of Christmas in Ukraine to December 25th.
"Perhaps the time has come for Ukraine to start celebrating Christmas on December 25th with the majority of civilized countries. But a decision on this matter should come first of all from the Council of Christian Churches of Ukraine. During the transition, I think we could celebrate both, on December 25th and January 7th,” he said.
The Orthodox Church uses the Julian calendar which is 13 days behind the Gregorian calendar. Following the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917, the new authorities adopted the Gregorian system, but Orthodox religious holidays continued to be celebrated according to the Julian dates.