Online poll asks Ukrainians when they celebrate Christmas

Christmas celebration at the Refectory Church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on January 7, 2020. Photo: open sources

Facebook user Oleksandr Bilokon posted a question: “Are there still people who celebrate Christmas the old way – on January 7?” The post received approximately 5,400 reactions and more than 1,200 comments.

Among those who clearly stated their preference, 96% said they celebrate Christmas on January 7. Only 3% favored December 25, while fewer than 1% said they observe both dates.

The breakdown of likes was even more striking. Comments supporting January 7 received more than 5,100 likes – 99.9% of all likes on the comments counted. Responses favoring December 25 received just five likes.

The most popular comments included: “My family and I celebrate Christmas on January 7” (644 likes), “We are Orthodox, not Catholic. Christmas was, is, and always will be on January 7” (550 likes), and “January 7 until the day I die” (443 likes).

Many commenters emphasized their unity with Jerusalem and Mount Athos. “They haven't switched on Mount Athos, so who am I to switch?” one woman wrote.

Others pointed to the traditions of their ancestors. “I celebrated, I celebrate, and I will continue to celebrate as my great-grandparents, grandparents, and parents did,” one commenter wrote. Another stated, “Rulers come and go, but faith is not for sale and does not change.”

Some commenters took issue with the wording of the original question, arguing that January 7 does not represent celebrating Christmas “the old way,” but rather “according to the Orthodox Church calendar.”

Others explicitly identified their Church affiliation: “My family and I are Orthodox Christians of the UOC,” and “Together with the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church – January 7.”

Many also insisted that those who celebrate Christmas on January 7 constitute a majority.

“There are millions of us Orthodox Christians – the largest religious denomination in Ukraine – who celebrate on January 7. Join us, we'd be happy to welcome you,” one user wrote, receiving 278 likes.

Supporters of December 25 offered few substantive arguments, according to the discussion. Many of their comments consisted of insults directed at those celebrating on January 7, including “Moskals,” “Russian sympathizers,” “rootless people,” and “brainwashed by the Russian world.”

Such comments received little support, generally attracting between zero and two likes. In replies to popular comments, opponents of the traditional date argued that “all normal people celebrate according to the Revised Julian calendar,” citing Romania and Bulgaria as examples.

Recall that on July 14, 2023, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada passed legislation removing January 7 as the official date of the Christmas holiday. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the law on July 28.

On September 1, 2023, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) adopted the Revised Julian calendar.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) retained the Julian calendar, under which Christmas falls on January 7 on the civil calendar, as do the Churches of Jerusalem, Russia, Serbia, Poland, North Macedonia, and Georgia, along with the monasteries of Mount Athos.

As the UOJ previously reported, an OCU cleric conducted a poll on Church affiliation but received an unexpected result.

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