"Erase Russia"... Ukraine Even Changed the Date of Christmas

Christmas on December 25 for the First Time Since 1971
Part of 'TalRussia'... "Regaining Cultural Identity"

Ukraine has decided to celebrate Christmas on December 25 for the first time in over 100 years. This is part of the ongoing effort to "erase Russian influence" following last year's Russian invasion.

On the 23rd (local time), the British BBC reported that Ukraine will celebrate Christmas on December 25 for the first time since 1917. Ukraine introduced the related legislation in July.

Christmas is traditionally celebrated on December 25, but some countries that follow the Orthodox Church, such as Russia and Ukraine, have commemorated Christmas on January 7 each year. The Orthodox Church traditionally uses the Julian Calendar instead of the Gregorian Calendar, which is the globally accepted solar calendar. The Julian Calendar is about 11 minutes and 14 seconds slower each year than the Gregorian Calendar, resulting in a 13-day difference.

Ukrainian citizens decorating a Christmas tree [Photo by Yonhap News]

However, after the outbreak of war last year, anti-Russian sentiment grew in Ukraine against the Russian Orthodox Church, which supports the Russian regime. Accordingly, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church allowed Christmas Mass to be held on December 25 last year based on decisions from each diocese, and this year, Christmas was legally changed to December 25.

In Russia, there is a widespread view that Ukraine is a subordinate cultural sphere. In fact, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed in a national address on February 21 last year, just before the war began, that "Ukraine has always been a part of Russia."

In response, Ukraine has strongly promoted "de-Russification" as part of a "cultural war." The Ukrainian government argues that this is a measure to discard policies pursued by Russia for centuries and to reclaim its unique cultural identity.

A representative example is the "Law on Ensuring the Function of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language," which came into effect in July 2022. This effectively bans the use of Russian and minority languages. Only Ukrainian must be used in public institutions, local governments, educational institutions, hospitals, and service sectors, and violations result in fines.

Last August, the shield of the "Motherland Monument" in Kyiv, Ukraine, was being replaced with a trident emblem. [Image source=EPA Yonhap News]

Last August, the hammer and sickle symbol, a symbol of the former Soviet Union, was removed from the 61-meter-tall giant female warrior statue called the "Motherland Monument" installed in the capital Kyiv, and replaced with a trident symbol representing Ukraine.

The Motherland Monument is a memorial erected in 1981 during the Soviet era to commemorate victory in World War II. After gaining independence from the former Soviet Union, Ukraine adopted the trident symbol as the emblem representing independent Ukraine in February 1992.