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Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas

2024-01-07 10:15:31Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Orthodox believers celebrate Christmas

Millions of Orthodox Christians attended midnight masses to mark Orthodox Christmas, a holiday that has been overshadowed for many by the conflict in Ukraine.

In Russia, the country with the largest number of Orthodox Christians, the faithful attended masses held on January 7 in churches in Moscow and across the country.


In Ukraine, where the majority of Christians identify as Orthodox, this was the first time that Christmas, officially based on a Government decision, was not celebrated on January 7, but on December 25, in accordance with Roman Catholic and Western traditions .

Despite the decision not to celebrate Christmas on January 7, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made in July last year, thousands of Ukrainians went to churches and shrines across the country, including the renovated Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, to attend midnight services.

Zelensky's order was another signal of Ukraine's efforts to break away from Russian-dominated traditions as the Russian occupation of Ukraine approaches its second anniversary.

In 2019, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church broke away from centuries-old control by the Russian Orthodox Church, however disputes over the matter have not been completely resolved. Another, smaller branch of Ukrainian Orthodoxy remains loyal to Moscow, and the two sides dispute control of the monastery in Kiev.

A significant minority of Ukrainian Christians, especially in western Ukraine, are Catholics.

In Russia, President Vladimir Putin joined the families of soldiers killed in the war in Ukraine at a private service at his residence in Novo-Ogaryovo, on the outskirts of Moscow.

According to a statement issued by the Kremlin, Putin emphasized "the efforts of religious organizations aimed at supporting our heroes - participants in the special military operation," the wording the Kremlin uses to refer to the invasion of Ukraine.

Unlike last year, Putin did not call for a ceasefire during this religious holiday.

The West has estimated that since the start of the invasion of Ukraine in February of last year, Russia has suffered over 320,000 casualties - killed and wounded - while Ukraine's record in this regard is believed to be comparable to Russia's.

Orthodox Christmas in Kosovo is a state holiday and is celebrated by Orthodox believers in the country.

In Serbia, Orthodox believers marked the holiday by burning oak outside churches and shrines. Thousands of people attended the service in the Temple of Saint Sava, which is the largest Orthodox church in the Balkans./REL


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