Kiev, 15 July 2023 (dpa/MIA) - Ukraine's parliament on Friday voted in favour of changing the date of the Orthodox Christmas holiday from January 7 to December 25.

The aim of the bill submitted by President Volodymyr Zelensky is the "dissociation from the Russian heritage."

Two of the three large churches with Orthodox status had already decided to change to the Gregorian calendar.

In 2017, December 25 was made a non-working public holiday.

Ukraine's largest Ukrainian Orthodox Church with long-time ties to Moscow has yet to comment on the change. It has celebrated the holidays according to the Julian calendar used by Russia.

Since Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukraine has been trying to cut ties to its Soviet and Russian past. The all-out invasion of Ukraine 16 months ago intensified those efforts.

Photo: MIA archive