January 12, 2021

A Quiet Christmas for Putin


A Quiet Christmas for Putin
"Good king Putin-slaus went out, on the feast of Stephen..." Press Office of the President of Russia, Kremlin.ru

While many of us had holiday plans that were interrupted by coronavirus, Russian president Vladimir Putin hit up a historic site to celebrate Christmas.

Apparently itching to escape big-city Moscow for a little while, Putin rang in Orthodox Christmas (celebrated January 7 in the liturgical calendar) at St. Nicholas Church on Lipno Island just outside the town of Veliky Novgorod, one of Russia's most ancient cities.

Arriving by hovercraft (how else?) over the frozen lake, Putin attended Orthodox liturgy at the thirteenth-century church, which is one of several UNESCO historical sites in the area.

Putin's Christmas message read, in part: “This wonderful holiday illuminates the world with a light of love and kindness, gives joy and hope to millions of people and guides them towards timeless spiritual values."

Sounds like a good reason to pull out the hovercraft.

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