Kyiv, Ukraine
Reuters
Ukrainian couple Lesia Shestakova, a Catholic, and Oleksandr Shestakov, an Orthodox believer, will for the first time celebrate Christmas together on 25th December.
Ukraine, like Russia, officially observed Orthodox Christmas on 7th January according to the Julian calendar until Kyiv passed a law earlier this year shifting the date to 25th December in line with other Western European countries.
Catholic believer Lesia Shestakova and Orthodox believer Oleksandr Shestakov, who prepare to celebrate Christmas together at the same day for the first time, speak to Reuters journalists at their home, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine on 21st December, 2023. Ukrainians celebrate their first Christmas according to a Western calendar after lawmakers passed a law to make 25th December the official Christmas Day in Ukraine instead of 7th January. PICTURE: Reuters/Valentyn Ogirenko
It is part of a cultural shift that is erasing traces of Russian influence as Ukraine fends off Moscow’s invasion launched nearly two years ago.
Lesia, Oleksandr and two of their children used to celebrate Christmas twice: first with Lesia’s parents in December and then with Oleksandr’s parents in January.
“There is finally a day in Ukraine which my husband and I can spend together in the cathedral and thank God that we are together, alive and in good health,” Lesia told Reuters on Sunday as the pair attended the morning service at the Catholic Cathedral of St Alexander in Kyiv.
Lesia and Oleksandr agreed that distancing the country from Russian religious and cultural traditions will help strengthen Ukraine even more.
“Everything Soviet-related – hammer and sickle, stars, idols and monuments to those like [former Soviet leader] Lenin – are being destroyed. And now, on December 25, the country’s rebirth will start, with new holidays,” Oleksandr said.
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Moscow’s February, 2022, attack prompted many Ukrainians to reject Russian language and culture and other historical ties to Kyiv’s former ruler.
Lesia has already practised cooking the food that will be at the centre of the table on Christmas morning, including her grandmother’s traditional recipes.
