Volodymyr Zelensky announced revision of holiday dates in Ukraine

Volodymyr Zelenskyy has instructed the speaker of the Verkhovna Rada, Ruslan Stefanchuk, to develop new approaches to holidays and special dates in the Ukrainian calendar. The initiative is aimed «at streamlining the existing system, taking into account historical events, tragic coincidences and outdated legacy of the Soviet period».

According to Suspilne, the head of state made a statement to this effect in his evening video message. He asked Stefanchuk together with the parliamentary corps, the government and representatives of civil society to prepare proposals to define «new and logical approaches» to the calendar.

Uladzimir Zelenski emphasized that the current calendar contains «bad calendar coincidences» when the days of tragedies fall on professional holidays. He noted that the war had introduced many such changes. The president also pointed to the dates inherited from the times of the USSR and the first years of independence, when several completely different professional holidays are celebrated on the same day.

«All this is worth streamlining. As the real Christmas was taken easily — on December 25 — so other dates should be fair and correct,» — summarized the President, citing the successful precedent of changing the date of Christmas as an example of possible adaptation and updating.

Recall, earlier we reported that the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine received the bill № 14261, which proposes to make November 30, the Day of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called, a public holiday and, accordingly, a non-working day. This initiative is aimed at strengthening the spiritual unity of society, strengthening the national identity and cultural independence of Ukraine, as well as harmonizing the state and church calendars with the European tradition.