Orthodox Christmas came under harsh circumstances in Ukraine this year. For families like the Kovtuns, living next to the remains of their shell-struck home, celebration was an act of defiance.
Tag: Christmas
Attacks Continue in Ukraine Despite Russia’s Supposed Cease-Fire
Ukraine never accepted Russia’s unilateral Christmas truce, dismissing it as a hollow ploy, and Russian shelling was as intense as ever in a hotly contested city.
Putin Calls a 36-Hour Cease-Fire, but Ukraine and U.S. Are Skeptical
The cease-fire would coincide with the Eastern Orthodox Christmas on Saturday, but Kremlin adversaries and some analysts call it a ploy for military and political advantage.
Philippines: Christmas Floods Kill 51 and Strand Thousands
Heavy rains on Christmas Day killed dozens of people and left thousands displaced. For a deeply Catholic nation, the timing heightened the sense of tragedy.
They Traveled From South Korea. They Got Stranded Near Buffalo.
A South Korean tour group’s van became stuck in the snow outside a house in Williamsville, N.Y. They spent the weekend with the residents — who luckily had a well-stocked kitchen.
Charles Charts a Path as a King for All Holiday Seasons
Adding a Hanukkah party and Diwali treats to the traditional Christmas address, King Charles III is publicly embracing a more inclusive monarchy in his first months.
Pope Francis’ Christmas Address Bemoans ‘Grave Famine of Peace’
Pope Francis urged the tens of thousands of faithful in St. Peter’s Square to pray for Ukraine and for others suffering in conflicts around the world.
Christmas in Ukraine: Flickering Lights, Patriotic Trees and Hope for Peace
One town is protecting a statue of St. Nick with sandbags, another is putting its Christmas tree underground and others are cranking up noisy generators to keep the holiday spirit alive.
Day 25: That Time an Orthodox Jew Celebrated Christmas
Alex Edelman, a comedian, recalls his family’s one-night fling with Christmas — undertaken as a mitzvah for a non-Jewish friend.
A Christmas Tree Brings Life to a Destroyed Palestinian Village
For former residents of Iqrit, where Israeli forces leveled everything but the church in 1951, religious rituals bind them to a place from which they were expelled.