Zelenskyy's Orthodox Christmas message highlights "taking out the garbage" from Ukraine

It has been more than 315 days since Russia invaded Ukraine announcing an all-out war between the two sides, a war which Russia has termed a “special military operation. Dressed in dark traditional attire, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the public on Friday highlighting the resilience of Ukrainians as the country celebrated Orthodox Christmas. Notably, Russia and Ukraine celebrate Christmas along the lines of the Orthodox church on January 7. 

“This is a holiday of harmony and family unity. And together we are all a big Ukrainian family. And no matter where we are now - at home, at work, in a trench, on the road, in Ukraine or abroad - our family is united as never before. In its courage, steadfastness, mutual respect and mutual assistance,” said Zelenskyy.

Highlighting the Russian invasion, Zelenskyy spoke about breaking “some of our traditions to protect our traditions," and said, “Our ancestors believed that on Christmas Eve the souls of deceased relatives descend from heaven. As it is sung, to see those who were left on earth. Today the spirits of our ancestors help us every day. To fight those who came to our land.” 

A fight against “black forces”: Zelenskyy

“On holidays, you cannot wear dark or old, worn clothes so that trouble does not come to your home. But trouble came to our home on February 24, 2022, so since then we are not in white clothes and we are fighting against black forces,” said Zelenskyy.

"Guests should be treated with special friendliness and care. Guests, not occupiers. It is forbidden to clean and take out the garbage from the house on a holy day, but we’ve been fighting against devils and taking out the garbage from our house for more than 300 days in a row. It is forbidden to sew and knit, but we weave camouflage nets and sew bulletproof vests, overcoming evil. Our ancestors did not go hunting these days, but we fight so that we do not become prey and defeat the beast," stated Zelenskyy.

Putin orders 36-hour ceasefire

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered his armed forces to observe a unilateral 36-hour cease-fire in Ukraine this weekend for the Orthodox Christmas holiday, the first such sweeping truce move in the nearly 11-month-old war. Kyiv indicated it won't follow suit. Putin did not appear to make his cease-fire order conditional on Ukraine's acceptance, and it wasn't clear whether hostilities would actually halt on the 1,100-kilometre (684-mile) front line or elsewhere.

Ukrainian officials have previously dismissed such Russian moves as playing for time to regroup their invasion forces and prepare additional attacks. Thursday's order was the first time Putin has directed his troops to observe a cease-fire throughout Ukraine.

"Taking into account the appeal of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill, I instruct the defence minister of the Russian Federation to introduce from 12:00 (0900 GMT) on January 6, 2023, until 24:00 (2100 GMT) on January 7, 2023, a ceasefire along the entire line of contact between the sides in Ukraine," an official statement from the Kremlin read. "Proceeding from the fact that a large number of citizens professing Orthodoxy live in the areas of hostilities, we call on the Ukrainian side to declare a ceasefire and allow them to attend services on Christmas Eve, as well as on Christmas Day," Putin said. 

Many Ukrainians chose to celebrate Christmas on December 25 instead

Keeping in mind the devastating loss of life and infrastructure in Ukraine, not all Ukrainians were willing to go the “Russian way” as far as celebrating Christmas was concerned.  The celebration of Christmas on January 7 instead of December 25 was one place where Russia and Ukraine found common ground. Orthodox Ukrainians decided to observe Christmas on December 25 like many other Christians across the planet. In October last year, the leadership of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which is not aligned with the Russian church and one of two branches of Orthodox Christianity in the country, agreed to allow the faithful to celebrate on December 25. 

The Synod of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine decreed in October 2022 that local church rectors could choose the date along with their communities, saying the decision followed years of discussion but also resulted from the circumstances of the war. The other major branch of Orthodoxy in the country, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, remained loyal to Moscow until the outbreak of war. It declared independence in May last year, though it remains under government scrutiny. That church has traditionally celebrated Christmas on January 7. The city of Bobrovytsia took a vote in December where 200 out of 204 people said yes to adopting December 25 as the new day to celebrate Christmas.

Why is Christmas in Ukraine celebrated on January 7?

The Christmas holiday that is celebrated on January 7 is done so in memory of the switch that Ukraine made in 1918 to the Gregorian calendar, when 14 astronomically redundant days were annulated. However, parts of the Orthodox Church never made the switch, and still live by the older Julian calendar. As a result, 6.6% of the world’s Christians (and 56% of the Orthodox Christians) celebrate Christmas on January 7, 14 days after the rest of the world does on December 25. Altogether, the Russian, Jerusalem, Serbian, Polish, and Georgian Orthodox Churches, the monasteries of Mount Athos in Greece, and the Orthodox and Greek Catholics of Ukraine and Belarus live by the Julian calendar. This is 56% of the world's Orthodox Christians, and 6.6% of the world's Christians overall.