Most Ukrainians are Orthodox Christians. But in July this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a bill into law making 25 December the official Christmas holiday as the country adopted the Western, Gregorian calendar.
Ukraine and Russia are both historically Orthodox Christian countries. These churches celebrate Christmas based on the Julian calendar, and until 2100 this date will be 14 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by the rest of the world.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church already began to use the Gregorian calendar in 2014, distancing itself from the Russian Orthodox Church, and now this date has been codified into Ukrainian law.
It should be noted that many Orthodox churches have actually been using 25th December as the date for 100 years now, following the 1923 Council of Constantinople. The choice to shift to the Gregorian date (or rather the Revised Julian date, but it’s the same day as the Gregorian one) is just a shift to align with other Eastern Orthodox patriarchates rather than a departure from Eastern Orthodoxy altogether
All this just proves that Christians don’t know the first thing about astronomy because the actual date of the solstice flips between the 21st and 22nd of December. Which should actually be the 31st and 1st according to the original intent of the calendar, as said, Christians have no clue about Astronomy and allowed the thing to drift.
To seperate themselves from russia. As they use the Julian calander celebrateing in jan.
I assume it is also to unify with the west. As that has been aboided in the past due to russias threats.
But as theu no longer have reason to avoid joining nato. I imagine officially sharing the same calendar seem like a bery easy unifying move.
I aaaume anyone who feels the need to celebrate on the 7th jan still can
Although hard to understand why any obe would care. Its not like xmas is the actual date of any past event. But instead the time pagan religions in europe were already celibrateimg yuletide etc.
Why?
If only there was an article that was linked that you could read so you had more information than the headline.
If only there was a summary of said article right here in the comment section, not even a click away
Ya but why?
Ukraine and Russia are both historically Orthodox Christian countries. These churches celebrate Christmas based on the Julian calendar, and until 2100 this date will be 14 days behind the Gregorian calendar used by the rest of the world.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church already began to use the Gregorian calendar in 2014, distancing itself from the Russian Orthodox Church, and now this date has been codified into Ukrainian law.
It should be noted that many Orthodox churches have actually been using 25th December as the date for 100 years now, following the 1923 Council of Constantinople. The choice to shift to the Gregorian date (or rather the Revised Julian date, but it’s the same day as the Gregorian one) is just a shift to align with other Eastern Orthodox patriarchates rather than a departure from Eastern Orthodoxy altogether
All this just proves that Christians don’t know the first thing about astronomy because the actual date of the solstice flips between the 21st and 22nd of December. Which should actually be the 31st and 1st according to the original intent of the calendar, as said, Christians have no clue about Astronomy and allowed the thing to drift.
To seperate themselves from russia. As they use the Julian calander celebrateing in jan.
I assume it is also to unify with the west. As that has been aboided in the past due to russias threats.
But as theu no longer have reason to avoid joining nato. I imagine officially sharing the same calendar seem like a bery easy unifying move.
I aaaume anyone who feels the need to celebrate on the 7th jan still can
Although hard to understand why any obe would care. Its not like xmas is the actual date of any past event. But instead the time pagan religions in europe were already celibrateimg yuletide etc.