# Last Christmas (Ukrainian Wartime Mix) February 12, 2025 Ernest Huk - [ Blog ](/news-categories/blog) ![Ernest Huk](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/styles/hwp_1_1__360x360_scale/public/huri/files/ernest.jpg?itok=cPNW2lhs) ## by Ernest Huk In a 2023 historic break with Russia, Ukraine’s two leading churches, responding to strong [public sentiment](https://kyivindependent.com/christmas-comes-early-this-year-for-ukraine-as-cultural-distancing-from-russia-continues/), shifted their Christmas celebrations from January 7—still observed by the Russian Orthodox Church—to December 25, aligning with the date celebrated by most Christians worldwide. This change marks the culmination of nearly a decade-long cultural pivot that began with the 2014 onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war. Nowhere was this transformation more poignantly symbolized than in an Odesa school bomb shelter, where the tune of Wham!’s [Christmas anthem](https://youtu.be/E8gmARGvPlI) captured the season’s spirit in defiance of Russia’s full-scale invasion. ***‘Once bitten and twice shy'*** From the Soviet era’s [genocidal](https://youtu.be/lejDbulJN54) Russification of Ukraine through 2014, winter festivities in Kyiv and Moscow bore many [similarities](https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/donbass-realii/28955079.html). The season revolved around television-centric New Year’s celebrations, highlighted by the fictional Ded Moroz delivering presents to well-behaved children overnight. Both countries then celebrated Christmas on the same January date, accompanied by signature dishes like Russian potato salad (commonly called Olivier). Russian-language broadcasts dominated the holiday airwaves with joint productions such as *Evening on a Farm Near Dikanka*, which caricatured Ukrainians as unsophisticated comic peasants, and Soviet-era romcoms like *The Irony of Fate*, portraying all Soviet cities and people as indistinguishably alike. Even the music charts were [dominated](https://texty.org.ua/articles/107687/vijna-ta-muzyka-yak-zminyuvalysya-muzychni-vpodobannya-ukrayinciv-v-yutubi/) by Russian artists, reinforcing a holiday season marked by imposed cultural uniformity. ![Ernest Huk childhood image](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2025-02/thumbnail_IMG_3263.jpg?itok=kNDcOBTt) *Me as a little elephant during New Year celebrations at my kindergarten, with Ded Moroz in the background giving presents****‘I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye’*** In 2014, the [Euromaidan](https://youtu.be/yzNxLzFfR5w) protest, Russia’s [annexation of Crimea](https://kyivindependent.com/russias-annexation-of-crimea/), and the [hybrid war in Donbas](https://kyivindependent.com/the-origins-of-the-2014-war-in-donbas/) reignited the flickering post-independence decolonization processes, profoundly affecting all aspects of Ukrainian life. In 2015, Ukraine’s parliament [enacted](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.bbc.com_ukrainian_politics_2015_04_150409-5Fcommunizm-5Fupa-5Fvc&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=dX2x1EMfxk1W4d0D0eT2hvUfxU5BzixI8oZU2qaej80&m=vW6HkWzjd4aPyeSkSqsOstopABkKK2-EqFFAx9VJ_lU1FyovG8ffwPrFwEtna6HG&s=3LWv65eIzlBSzfHvwe033Ypcpdhs_qJwEoAelvY-uXQ&e=) sweeping decommunization laws mandating the removal of Soviet symbols, renaming streets and cities, and opening USSR archives. The laws also established a day of remembrance for victims of communist and Nazi totalitarian regimes on the anniversary of the Nazi-Soviet Pact, which [paved the way](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.rferl.org_a_molotov-2Dribbentrop-2Dwhat-2Ddo-2Drussians-2Dknow-2Dof-2Dkey-2Dwwii-2Dpact_30123950.html&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=dX2x1EMfxk1W4d0D0eT2hvUfxU5BzixI8oZU2qaej80&m=vW6HkWzjd4aPyeSkSqsOstopABkKK2-EqFFAx9VJ_lU1FyovG8ffwPrFwEtna6HG&s=WRxY6sE59CMy2H0vxiSLTG2vK2i9TKh3W-nFatVOcaI&e=) for World War II. In 2016, the Ukrainian Parliament [passed](https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/entertainment/2016/11/161101_ukrainian_music_limits_rl) a law imposing quotas for Ukrainian songs and language on the radio, mandating a gradual increase in the share of Ukrainian-language content, which at the time accounted for a marginal 5%. In 2017, the Ukrainian Parliament [amended](https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/features-39302696) the national law governing TV and radio broadcasting, reinstating a minimum percentage of programming in Ukrainian and EU languages. The measure primarily targeted outlets owned by pro-Russian oligarchs, many of which aired only a quarter of their content in Ukrainian. In January 2018, the Ukrainian Security Service [requested](https://detector.media/infospace/article/133610/2018-01-11-natsrada-pereviryt-inter-i-stb-cherez-pokaz-ironii-doli-ta-inshykh-radyanskykh-filmiv/) the national TV and radio regulator to investigate two major channels that aired Soviet-made films during the Christmas holidays, featuring cast members who publicly supported Russia's invasion of Ukraine. In April 2018, the Ukrainian Parliament officially [appealed](https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/news/29176568.html) to Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople for recognition of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as independent from the Moscow Patriarchate which has played a crucial role in [legitimizing](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2014/03/13/dont-underestimate-importance-of-religion-for-understanding-russias-actions-in-crimea/) the Russian invasion. In a 2021 [interview](https://zaxid.net/ya_zaboronyu_olivye_shubu_i_vsi_radyanski_stravi_n1516398), renowned Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko—who played a pivotal role in advocating for UNESCO's designation of borscht as a Ukrainian national dish—declared, ‘If I became a Ukrainian cuisine minister, I would ban for three years the Russian potato salad and all the other Soviet dishes … Ukrainian cuisine is about the future, while Soviet cuisine is about the past.’ ***‘Now I know what a fool I've been’*** As political scientists Maria Popova and Oxana Shevel observed in their book, *Russia and Ukraine: Entangled Histories, Diverging States*, the broader Ukrainian public only fully embraced government-led efforts to decolonize national memory and promote the Ukrainian language after [Russia’s full-scale invasion](https://youtu.be/9H_Fg_5x4ME) in February 2022. Google Trends data strongly supports this shift, particularly in the renewed interest in authentic Ukrainian winter festivities. ![Ernest Huk childhood image](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2025-02/PastedGraphic-2.jpg?itok=yiYF1Odg) *Little me and my father’s middle school classmate, Fedir Shandor, singing Christmas carols in traditional Carpathian hunias. Since the full-scale invasion, he has become known as Ukraine’s 'trench professor.'*The winter season of 2022/23 was the first since independence without any Russian programming on Ukrainian television, as a presidential decree [united](https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/may/25/death-to-the-enemy-ukraine-news-channels-unite-to-cover-war) all major broadcasters under the supervised United News telethon. Based on Google Trends, the 2022/23 Christmas season also marked the first time Google searchers—the country’s [most active](https://ms.detector.media/onlain-media/post/24463/2020-04-08-reytyng-naypopulyarnishykh-saytiv-za-berezen-mesendzhery-novyny-poshuk-likiv/) online audience—showed [slightly greater](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=UA&q=/g/122c617t,/m/052kgn&hl=uk) interest in St. Nicholas, the Christian precursor to Santa Claus, than in Ded Moroz, the [Soviet-rendered](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.radiosvoboda.org_a_28949978.html&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=dX2x1EMfxk1W4d0D0eT2hvUfxU5BzixI8oZU2qaej80&m=vW6HkWzjd4aPyeSkSqsOstopABkKK2-EqFFAx9VJ_lU1FyovG8ffwPrFwEtna6HG&s=7Cdv-zor8jVLcuN9pFv3Vi_tlkpmMcK023NIcDQ0MBk&e=) figure whose name translates to ‘Grandfather Frost.’ By December 2023, following the Church’s calendar reform, St. Nicholas had become almost [three times](https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&geo=UA&q=/g/122c617t,/m/052kgn&hl=uk) more popular in search queries than Ded Moroz. This was also the first December when Christmas itself, together with Kutia, an ancient Slavic Christmas dish, illuminated the depth of the shift: Christmas [surpassed](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__trends.google.com.ua_trends_explore-3Fdate-3Dall-26geo-3DUA-26q-3D-252Fm-252F01vq3-2C-252Fm-252F05fdr-26hl-3Duk&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=dX2x1EMfxk1W4d0D0eT2hvUfxU5BzixI8oZU2qaej80&m=h0xnfsT2SUa9saJGLRAlOaaGRb30DRgigojendB5g8QfrQ4JlKskvQZ8axLnxEpZ&s=lKtzl6pHR6V2_ge53WKTv5GnRWi5Ref33bTD5rq53bA&e=) New Year, and Kutia [overtook](https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__trends.google.com_trends_explore-3Fdate-3Dall-26geo-3DUA-26q-3D-252Fm-252F04fjm-2C-252Fm-252F026dp1h-26hl-3Duk&d=DwMFaQ&c=WO-RGvefibhHBZq3fL85hQ&r=dX2x1EMfxk1W4d0D0eT2hvUfxU5BzixI8oZU2qaej80&m=h0xnfsT2SUa9saJGLRAlOaaGRb30DRgigojendB5g8QfrQ4JlKskvQZ8axLnxEpZ&s=oBbBjmFWhEJWZnPLuSPtHi93_eeqc2GfubjRJ7kcxho&e=) Russian potato salad in popularity on Ukrainian Google searches. ***‘Now I've found a real love, you'll never fool me again’*** According to YouTube Charts—the second most visited platform in Ukraine—on Christmas Eve in January 2022, just two months before Russia’s full-scale invasion, [all but one](https://charts.youtube.com/charts/TopSongs/ua/weekly/20220113) of Ukraine’s top 10 songs were in Russian, including music by Grigory Leps, a close ally of Vladimir Putin and thus Russia’s wealthiest musician. By January 2023, during Ukraine’s first Christmas amid the full-scale invasion, only [two](https://charts.youtube.com/charts/TopSongs/ua/weekly/20230112) of the top ten tracks were in Russian; the remaining eight were in Ukrainian. By December 2023, only [one](https://charts.youtube.com/charts/TopSongs/ua/weekly/20231228) Russian song remained in Ukraine’s top 10 holiday songs, while two Western classics, Mariah Carey’s *All I Want for Christmas Is You* and Wham!’s *Last Christmas*, entered the Christmas charts for the first time. In contrast to [American YouTube trends](https://charts.youtube.com/charts/TopSongs/us/weekly/20231228), Wham!'s nostalgic hit resonated more with Ukrainians, reaching the 24th position among Ukraine’s 100 most-played tracks, while Carey’s song ranked 39th. I can’t think of a better explanation for last year’s surge in Ukrainian interest in *Last Christmas*—from TikTok users offering [translations](https://www.tiktok.com/@julia.svizhynska/video/7312186575679491334) or [questioning](https://www.tiktok.com/@vitykkityk/video/7441130897950117175) how someone could enjoy a song celebrating gay affection while being intolerant, to the country’s leading stand-up comedians [parodying](https://www.facebook.com/AntoXaxax/videos/208086815689169) its music video to launch a Christmas donation campaign for the Armed Forces on Facebook, or a viral government Instagram video showing children in an [Odesa bomb shelter](https://www.instagram.com/p/C1KycPbtzKm/) belting out its lyrics—than the one Josh Baines offered in a far less apocalyptic 2017 piece on [Vice](https://www.vice.com/en/article/59wbza/whams-last-christmas-is-the-only-truly-great-christmas-song): *What makes Last Christmas a truly incredible evocation of **loss**, however, is that it shows rather than tells. By that, I mean that anyone can sing about a breakup, and a lot of people do, but crafting something that sounds almost analogous to the feeling of weightless vertigo that comes with accepting something is over when, in fact, that’s the very last thing in the world you want, is nigh on impossible. But George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley managed to do it.* Amid the horrors of war and the profound changes it has wrought, Ukrainians listening to and singing along with *Last Christmas* symbolized their acceptance of the irreversible loss of their last pre-war Christmas lives, reaffirming that this loss won’t hold them back from embracing the identity that Russia has spent centuries trying to erase: ‘***Tell me baby, do you recognize me? Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me.’*** ![Ernest Huk with a friend](/sites/g/files/omnuum4931/files/styles/hwp_1_1__960x960_scale/public/2025-02/0d3618f5-1ffc-4ed1-b831-f7a04ec7442f.jpeg?itok=un3BmXIw) *My Heidelberg neighbor Andrii Punko and I singing carols in festive Ukrainian goat masks last Christmas*\[All supporting links are accessible on the [Internet Archive](https://archive.org/details/snapinsta.app-video-9646-dd-1-a-86-c-1-ade-62-dd-6738-b-4644-a-6-a-8-video-dashinit)\] Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)