Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, presented to the Verkhovna Rada a bill aimed at shifting the country’s Christmas celebration from January 7 to December 25. The move is positioned as a step away from Russian traditions and toward a version of national identity aligned with European calendars.
The explanatory note argues that for many years Russian ideology influenced Ukrainian life in various spheres, including the use of the Julian calendar and the observance of Christmas on January 7. The bill emphasizes December 25 as the shared date for celebrating the Nativity of Christ, a date already recognized as a public holiday in Ukraine since 2017 with the adoption of Catholic Christmas as a national observance.
The proposed reform seeks to reject what is described as the Russian legacy of forcing January 7 as the Nativity celebration and of fixing the date there. Zelensky stated that adopting this change would help Ukraine move away from Russian traditions and strengthen national unity across the country.
Earlier, in late May, the Bishops’ Council of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church decided to switch to the new calendar, transferring Christmas celebrations to December 25. That date remains a public holiday in Ukraine, and Catholic Christmas has been celebrated at the state level since 2017.
In addition, the bill includes changes to dates for commemorating national holidays: Ukrainian State Day would move from July 28 to July 15, and Defender of Ukraine Day would move from October 14 to October 1.
“Language barrier”
Zelensky also introduced a draft law in the Verkhovna Rada establishing English as the language of international communication in Ukraine. The measure is framed as urgent. The proposal outlines that local administrative leaders, their assistants, contracted officers, prosecutors, tax and customs officials, middle and senior police officers, and other law enforcement and civil protection personnel should be proficient in English. It sets out the process for language examinations and defines norms for English use in education, culture, transport, and health sectors.
The explanatory note frames English proficiency as necessary to meet European standards amid Ukraine’s ongoing European integration aspirations. Although Ukraine has held EU candidate status since 2022, the authors argue that language barriers continue to hinder full alignment with Europe.
According to the EF English Proficiency Index for 2021, Ukraine ranked 40th out of 112 countries with intermediate English proficiency. The draft law on English as the language of international communication began development in August of the previous year. The government leader described the plan as a way to support business development, attract investment, and speed up Ukraine’s European integration progress. The country’s state language remains Ukrainian, a rule codified in law since 2019.
Since January 2022, Ukrainian and regional print media have been required to publish in Ukrainian. Exceptions are preserved for English and Crimean Tatar, as well as languages of other indigenous groups and official EU languages. Concurrently, Russian was removed from the curriculum in Kiev’s kindergartens and schools in November 2022.
How did Moscow respond?
A representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, commented on Zelensky’s proposals, suggesting that the Ukrainian leader had shifted to a Western calendar and, in her words, converted to Catholicism. The remark appeared on her official channels and sparked discussion about the broader regional implications. It is noted that Christmas on December 25 is celebrated not only by Catholics but also by some Orthodox nations, such as Greece, highlighting the diverse religious calendar landscape in Europe.