President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky introduced Verkhovna presented to the Rada a bill to postpone the celebration of Christmas in the country from January 7 to December 25.
In the explanatory note, “Russian ideology has long been imposed on the Ukrainian people in many areas of life, including observance of the Julian calendar and the celebration of the Nativity of Christ on January 7, and most Orthodox Christians around the world celebrate it. On December 25.”
The purpose of the bill is “to reject the Russian legacy of imposing the Nativity of Christ on January 7 and setting the date of celebration on December 25.”
According to the President of Ukraine, the adoption of this initiative “will allow us to move away from Russian traditions and strengthen national unity in Ukraine.”
At the end of May, the Bishops’ Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church decided to switch to a new calendar with the transfer of Christmas celebrations to December 25. Already this date is a public holiday in Ukraine – since 2017, Catholic Christmas has been celebrated in the country at the state level.
In addition, the bill provides for the postponement of the celebration of the Ukrainian State Day from July 28 to July 15, and the celebration of the Day of Defenders and Defenders of Ukraine from October 14 to October 1.
“Language barrier”
Zelensky introduced A draft law on the Verkhovna Rada and the status of English as the language of international communication in Ukraine. The document is described as urgent by the president of Ukraine, reports TASS.
As can be understood from the text, local administrative chiefs and their assistants, contracted officers, prosecutors, tax and customs officers, middle and senior police officers, and other law enforcement and civil protection officials must know English. .
In particular, the bill establishes the procedure for passing the authorities’ examinations on English language knowledge and establishes norms for its use in the fields of education, culture, transport and health.
The explanatory note of the document states that the recognition of European standards in the field of language policy is necessary in connection with the country’s “European integration aspirations”. Since June 23, 2022, Ukraine has EU candidate status, but, as the authors of the initiative note, it still “left the European Union with a language barrier.”
According to the EF English Proficiency Index 2021, Ukraine ranks 40th out of 112 countries with intermediate English proficiency.
The draft law on the status of English as the language of international communication in Ukraine began to be developed in August last year. Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the initiative would “support business development, attract investment and accelerate Ukraine’s European integration”. red blood cell.
The only state language on the territory of Ukraine is Ukrainian – the corresponding law has been in force in the country since 2019.
Since January 2022, all Ukrainian and regional print media must broadcast in Ukrainian.
An exception is made for English and Crimean Tatar languages, languages of other indigenous peoples and official languages of the European Union.
At the same time, Russian was excluded from the curriculum of kindergartens and schools in Kiev in November 2022.
How did Moscow react?
Spokesperson of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, commented on Zelensky’s latest initiatives. allowedThe President of Ukraine changed his religion.
“Zelensky proposed to celebrate Christmas in Ukraine on December 25 at the state level according to the Western model. Now he is a Catholic, ”Wrote Zakharova, telegraph channel.
It is worth noting that Christmas on December 25 is celebrated not only by Catholics, but also by some Orthodox countries – for example, Greece.
Source: Gazeta
Emma Matthew is a political analyst for “Social Bites”. With a keen understanding of the inner workings of government and a passion for politics, she provides insightful and informative coverage of the latest political developments.