The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine has adopted the law "On Amendments to the Labor Code of Ukraine", making December 25 a national day-off, in addition to the commonly celebrated Orthodox Christmas on January 7.
Сhairman of the Verkhovna Rada Andriy Parubiy has also proposed to exclude May 2 (International Workers' Solidarity Day) from the list of holidays and non-working days. Lawmakers have supported the move.
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"At the same time, today there are about 11,000 religious Catholic and Protestant communities in Ukraine, accounting for about 30% of all religious organizations, who celebrate Christmas in line with the Gregorian calendar, that is, on December 25.
The law also defines May 1 as Labor Day, while earlier it was called the International Workers' Solidarity Day.
The new legislation shall come into force on the day following its publication.