Priest Filiuk on the Christmas tree after the death of a relative: Why should children suffer?.

According to ТСН: Well-known priest-blogger Oleksii Filiuk expressed his opinion on the tradition of setting up a Christmas tree in families where close relatives have recently passed away. He believes that grief and celebration do not always have to be connected.

He spoke about this on his Instagram.

“Well, why not? Don’t confuse, brothers and sisters, borscht and flies together. A person died — there is mourning, mourn, well, mourn for yourself,”

he emphasized.

Filiuk also noted that the interests of children in the family should be taken into account:

“If there are children in the house and they want a little holiday, they want a Christmas tree, then why should children suffer because their distant grandmother died in Siberia?”

The priest stressed that there is no Christian teaching that prohibits setting up a Christmas tree after the death of a relative, so

“if you want to set it up — set it up. Regardless of whether someone has died or not.”

He also stated that death should not affect holiday traditions:

“What does the dead have to do with the Christmas tree? That’s it, the person has passed away, the memory of them remains, and for the little children, put up the Christmas tree,”

This statement has once again raised the issue of holiday traditions in Ukrainian society, as many people face difficulties in combining celebration with personal grief. The priest's opinion may become a support for those who are learning to find a balance between remembering their lost loved ones and the desire to celebrate together with family.