Holidays in Ukraine according to the new calendar: what is celebrated in summer
4 June 2024 13:41
Religious holidays play a huge role in the lives of believers. They help them strengthen their faith, communicate with their loved ones, and spend time in prayer and reflection. Holidays also contribute to the preservation and transmission of traditions.
As the Orthodox Church of Ukraine switched to the New Julian calendar on 1 September 2023, the dates of traditional Ukrainian holidays have shifted. [Kommersant] has collected information about the important dates for believers that fall in the summer.
Church holidays in June
13 June – Ascension of Jesus Christ. This is a “moving” holiday that depends on the day on which the Resurrection falls in the current year. It is celebrated on the 40th day after the most important holiday for Christians.
23 June – Trinity (Pentecost). It is celebrated in honour of the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church. This year, this holiday falls on a Sunday. As it is also a public holiday, Ukrainians would have had an extra day off on Monday, 24 June. However, due to martial law in Ukraine, all additional days off are cancelled.
24 June is the Nativity of John the Baptist (Ivan Kupala). It is celebrated in honour of the forerunner of Jesus Christ, who baptised the Son of God. Previously, this day was celebrated on 7 July.
29 June is the Day of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul. This holiday honours the Apostles Peter and Paul, who are the most important for Christianity. Peter was the first of the apostles to recognise Jesus Christ as the Messiah. Paul was a former persecutor of Christians who repented and became an ardent preacher of Christianity. The Ukrainian people have also long symbolised the end of the Midsummer celebrations and summer weddings, farewell to spring and preparation for haymaking. It used to be celebrated on 12 July.
30 June – A holiday dedicated to the Twelve Apostles: Peter the Great, Andrew the First-Called, Jacob Zevedeyev, John the Theologian, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, Jacob Alpheus, Thaddeus, Simon the Cananite, and the Apostle Matthew, who was chosen to replace Judas Iscariot among the twelve apostles.
Church holidays in July
15 July is the Day of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir the Great. It is also the day of the baptism of Rus.
Church holidays in August
1 August – Makoviya (Honey Savior). On this day, the memory of the Byzantine shrine – a part of the Life-Giving Cross of the Lord, on which Christ was crucified – is honoured, as well as the memory of the Maccabean martyrs who did not betray the Jewish faith. The Assumption Fast begins on Makovei and ends on 15 August with the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Previously, this important holiday for Ukrainians was celebrated on 14 August.
6 August – Transfiguration of the Lord (Apple Savior). The Feast of the Transfiguration has been celebrated by the Eastern Church since the fourth century and is one of the biggest twelve feasts after Easter. The meaning of the feast lies in the event of the revelation of the transfigured Christ to the apostles and in the deep human gratitude to God for the ripe fruits He gave. Back in 20223, it was celebrated on 19 August.
15 August is the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the day of the end of the earthly life of the Holy Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ. According to legend, on this day the apostles gathered in Jerusalem to say goodbye and bury the Virgin Mary. Previously, it was celebrated on 28 August.
16 August – The Nut Saviour (Saviour on canvas). It commemorates the transfer of the non-man-made image of Jesus Christ from Edessa to Constantinople. It is the third and final feast of the three summer Saviours. It got its name because it is celebrated in late August, when hazelnuts and walnuts are ripe and harvested.
