President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed the government of the country to address the issue of granting state status to some religious holidays. This was announced on Thursday, July 30, by the press service of the Ukrainian leader.
The corresponding decree mentions, in particular, Ramazan Bayram, Eid al-Adha, Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, Easter of Christians of the Western rite, as well as a number of others.
Zelensky noted that the purpose of this decision is “to ensure the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens, the realization of equal rights and opportunities for all believers, respect for the history, culture, traditions of Ukrainian society as multinational and multi-confessional.”
Now the Cabinet of Ministers will have to develop proposals in cooperation with the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches, religious organizations and the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, and then submit the bill to the Verkhovna Rada.
In November, the primate of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) Epiphanius proposed to postpone the celebration of Christmas to December 25. According to him, this is possible only if the Ukrainian society supports the idea. Epiphanius also noted that it is difficult to guess how long it will take for citizens to get used to the new date of the holiday.
Now there are two Christmas dates in Ukraine, which are official days off – December 25 and January 7.