Bethlehem hosts dim ceremony – DW – 12/24/2024

Ukraine is celebrating Christmas in December for the second time this year after a law change moved the Russian Orthodox Church away from the traditional January date.

President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law in 2023, stating that the country will “renounce the Russian heritage” of celebrating on January 7.

“For the second time, we celebrate Christmas on the same date as one big family, one country. For the second time in modern history, Christmas unites all Ukrainians,” Zelensky said in a social media post on Tuesday.

“Whether in person or in our minds, we will greet each other, call our parents, kiss our children, hug our loved ones, and remember those we hold dear. Individually, From a distance, or in our hearts – Ukrainians are together today and as long as we do, there is no possibility of evil.”

Between them, Ukraine and Russia are estimated to have lost about half a million soldiers during the nearly three-year war. More than 10,000 Ukrainian civilians are killed.

According to reports, about 150,000 Ukrainian soldiers are on the front lines out of a total of 2.2 million strong military personnel.

Millions of Ukrainian refugees are spending their third Christmas abroad after being offered asylum in neighboring European countries when the war began.