CARACAS, Venezuela (LifeSiteNews) — Newly appointed Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro has moved Christmas to October 1st.
In a September 2nd interview, Maduro announced that Christmas will be celebrated on October 1st, a decision that many are pointing out is aimed at shifting attention from his disputed election win.
“It’s September and it already smells like Christmas. That’s why this year, in homage to you, in gratitude to you, I am going to decree that Christmas be brought forward to October 1,” Maduro declared.
“Christmas arrived for everyone, in peace, joy and security!” he continued.
This is hardly the first time Maduro has moved the religious holiday to October. In 2020 during the COVID pandemic, he announced the start of Christmas would be October 15th. Similarly, in 2021, he moved the feast to October 5th.
“Christmas has arrived at Miraflores Palace and throughout our country, with the joy and details that characterize this special season,” he said at the time. “In Venezuela we are going to have a merry Christmas, full of lights and color.”
Llegó la navidad al Palacio de Miraflores y a todo nuestro país, con la alegría y detalles que caracterizan esta época especial. En Venezuela vamos a tener unas navidades felices, llena de luces y colorido. pic.twitter.com/XW3R58QhDC
— Nicolás Maduro (@NicolasMaduro) October 5, 2021
Throughout history, the Solemnity of Christmas has always been celebrated on December 25th after historian Sextus Julius Africanus dated March 25th as the day of Jesus’ conception. Therefore, it follows that Christ was born nine months later, on December 25th.
However, defiance of tradition and scorn of Catholicism is not inconsistent with Maduro’s dictatorship. As LifeSiteNews previously reported, in 2020, the socialist leader cited Pope Francis’ comments in favor of homosexual civil unions to push for legislation defining same-sex “marriage.”
Additionally, many are pointing out that Maduro’s decision to move Christmas to October could be an attempt to distract from the volatile political situation in Venezuela.
In July, Maduro was declared by the national election authority to have secured a third-term victory over Edmundo González.
As LifeSiteNews previously reported, the election results, while defended by national authorities, were widely and instantly disputed by Venezuelans and international figures who strongly attested that González received more votes.
Even mainstream media have described the election as “tainted,” and numerous national presidents in South America have questioned the results.
In the wake of Maduro’s victory, protests and demonstrations have broken out, demanding he step aside for a new government.
As Maduro’s government has insisted on clamping down on the protests and refusing to show the voting records, Cardinals Baltazar Porras and Diego Padrón styled such a stance as using the “logic of a ‘coup d’état’ constructed ad hoc.”
“There are indications that the regime is ‘fabricating’ other records to suit its interests,” the two prelates warned. “It has been reported that opposition table leaders and witnesses have been intimidated to sign them.”
Indeed, as international condemnation of Maduro has grown, Porras and Padrón warned the country risked becoming a “Nicaraguan style of government,” alluding to the anti-Catholic and totalitarian rule enacted by President Daniel Ortega.