Conflict over calendar: parishioners in OCU church in Prykarpattia region could not celebrate Christmas on December 25

On December 25, approximately 300 parishioners of the OCU church in honor of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Kosmach, Ivano-Frankivsk region, were unable to attend Christmas services in their church. The entrance to the church was blocked by other believers who insist on celebrating Christmas on January 7. This was reported by Suspilne.Ivano-Frankivsk.

According to local residents, about 25 people blocked access to the church. Opponents of the transition to the new style told the villagers that they had no keys to the church. As a result, the parishioners waited in the churchyard for more than five hours, but the worship service did not take place. As a result, people went to the cemetery, where they prayed at the graves of soldiers who died in the Russian-Ukrainian war, and then went home.

Earlier, in 2024, Christmas was also celebrated on January 7 in the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Kosmach. At that time, the rector of the church, Vasyl Kifor, explained this by the decision of the parishioners to take advantage of the transitional period, which was valid until 2025. Before that, Kosmach had twice held meetings of the faithful, but support for the transition to the new calendar was minimal: at the first meeting, two people supported it, and at the second, six.

on December 18, at a roundtable meeting, it was decided not to switch to the new style, so in 2026, Christmas will also be celebrated on January 7 in the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the village of Kosmach. In addition to Kosmach, there are two other parishes in the Carpathian region of Horodenka that will celebrate Christmas in the old style.

As reported, in the Ivano-Frankivsk region, three parishes of the OCU decided to celebrate Christmas on January 7, 2025, continuing to adhere to the old style. This comes amid a general transition of the Church to the New Julian calendar, which provides for the celebration of Christmas on December 25.