Calendar Reforms in Ukrainian Orthodoxy

Abstract

The study provides a brief retrospective, and the current state of the calendar, issue in Ukrainian Orthodoxy. To achieve this, the attitude towards the calendar issue of those Orthodox Ukrainians who, in certain historical periods, lived in Ukrainian territories as part of European states and the Russian Empire, is examined. The ideological discourse of the calendar reform during the existence of the Soviet Union is outlined. Special attention is given to the calendar issue in Independent Ukraine. The reasons, main stages, features, and difficulties of the current transition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine to the new Julian calendar are systematized. The impact of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine on these processes is obvious. The civilizational context of the calendar issue in Ukrainian territories is proven. It is argued that in previous eras, the Julian calendar was a means for Ukrainians to preserve religious and national identity, as well as to resist the Soviet regime’s repression against religion. The current calendar Church reform of 2023, besides entirely objective reasons related to the greater accuracy of the New Julian calendar1, is also a way of distancing from the distorted values of the “Russian world.” Currently, non-denominational affiliation, but Christian values and the desire for a better fate for their country, are unifying factors for Ukrainians.