A draft resolution No. 16166 has been registered in the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine proposing to celebrate Bible Day annually on October 31. RBC-Ukraine reports this citing the text of the document. The initiative is currently at the draft stage: the resolution has not yet been included in the session agenda and has not been adopted by parliament. Nevertheless, the authors have already outlined the key parameters of the future commemorative date and its symbolic significance for Ukrainian culture.
Why October 31 Specifically
The choice of date is not accidental: on October 31, 1903, the complete translation of the Bible into modern literary Ukrainian was published. Three prominent figures of Ukrainian culture worked on this large-scale translation — Panteleimon Kulish, Ivan Nechuy-Levytsky, and Ivan Pulyuy. Their work became one of the key events in the history of Ukrainian book publishing and literary language, which is why the authors of the project believe that this date most accurately reflects the essence of the proposed holiday.
What Will and Will Not Happen
A key clarification made by the initiators: Bible Day will not become a public holiday and does not provide for an additional day off. Enterprises, institutions, and organizations will operate normally. If the resolution is adopted, thematic events for this date can be organized in educational institutions, museums, and libraries — lectures, exhibitions, reader meetings, and other formats aimed at promoting the biblical heritage in the Ukrainian linguistic context.
Goals of the Initiative
According to the explanatory note to the draft resolution, the introduction of the commemorative date is intended to promote the Ukrainian language, the history of publishing, and the country's cultural heritage. The authors also expect that Bible Day will attract youth attention to the history of religion and literature, creating an additional reason for educational and cultural programs in schools and universities. Thus, the initiative is positioned not as a religious holiday, but as a cultural and historical date associated with linguistic and publishing heritage.
Context: A Wave of New Commemorative Dates
The initiative for Bible Day fits into a broader context of establishing new commemorative and festive days in Ukraine. For instance, the All-Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations previously sent the president a proposal to make October 12 a public holiday — Military Chaplain Day. In addition, Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree establishing a new military holiday — the Day of Signal Troops and Cybersecurity of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, to be celebrated annually on August 8. Against this background, the draft resolution on Bible Day looks like another element in shaping the calendar of national and cultural dates.
Current Stage of the Initiative
As of October 2026, this is exclusively a draft resolution registered in parliament. The document has not passed any committee, has not been submitted to a plenary session, and has not been adopted. For Bible Day to become an official commemorative date, the project must go through the standard procedure: consideration by the relevant committee, voting in the Verkhovna Rada hall, and, if necessary, signing by the president. Meanwhile, October 31 remains a date that the initiators propose to recognize as significant for Ukrainian culture, but which holds no official status.
