Ukraine celebrates Christmas on Dec. 25 for the first time, distancing itself from Russia

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Christmas carries more than spiritual weight for many Ukrainians this year: for the first time, the country is observing it as a public holiday on Dec. 25, rather than the later date followed in Russia. The change, enacted in legislation signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July, reflects both Ukrainians’ dismay with the 22-month-old Russian invasion and their assertion of a national identity. A serviceman who attended services Monday at an open-air museum in Kyiv described the move as “historical justice.” . As Yevhen Konyksees it, observing the new date helps throw off Russia’s long hegemony.