The bill was passed by Ukraine’s parliament earlier this month. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed it into law on Friday. The legislation’s sponsors said its passage would help Ukraine “abandon the Russian heritage of imposing the celebration of Christmas on January 7,” and help Ukrainians “live their own life with their own traditions holidays.
Nearly 59% of the more than 1.5 million people who voted supported such a move. Alla and Oksana, two teachers from the Zaporizhzhia region who had been forced to flee their homes, said they supported the decision to change the date. They added that they celebrated Christmas on December 25 last year and felt they would “quickly adapt.” “Ukraine should be a civilized European country,” Alla said. “This should be the norm for us.