Russia celebrates the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity

In Russia, on July 8, the eighth year has been celebrated by family day, love and fidelity. Although the celebrations are held in different regions of the country, according to tradition, the city of Murom of the Vladimir region, where Prince Peter and his wife Fevronia lived, in honor of which this holiday was established.

For the first time, family day, love and fidelity in Russia celebrated in 2008. Since then, on this day, among young people it has become popular to register relations, and in some cities, registry offices decide not to issue certificates of divorce . Families with more than a 30 -year history are presented with state awards - medals "For love and fidelity." The main tradition of the holiday was to give lovers chamomile as a symbol of purity and devotion, reports on Wednesday TASS.

This year, so that as many people as possible can visit the All -Russian holiday in Murom, the celebration took place on Saturday, July 4. The ancient city accepted more than 100 thousand guests - almost as much as it lives in the city constantly. “The city’s hotels were booked a few months ago. Every year, the Murom land attracts more and more people from all over Russia,” said the head of the Murom district, Yevgeny Rychkov, in an interview with TASS.

In Murom, you could see Agrikov Sword, which, according to legend, Prince Peter defeated the snake, and the collection of Russian historical costume from the fashion theater Valentin Yudashkin. The head of the Fund of Socio -Cultural Initiatives, the wife of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Svetlana Medvedeva - the ideological inspirer of the holiday - already, by tradition, presented the Murom residents of the medal "for love and fidelity."

Hundreds of events will be held today in honor of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity in Moscow. Visitors to the parks will visit festive concerts, craft fairs, can become witnesses and participants in the marriage rite of ancestors. Families with children are especially appreciated by the celebrations, for whom the organizers prepare a wide variety of entertainment.

Meanwhile, according to Izvestia, the day of the holiday, July 8, can become a weekend. Corresponding amendments in Art. 112 of the Labor Code proposes to introduce the first deputy head of the LDPR faction in the State Duma Alexei Didenko.

"The celebration of St. Valentine's Day is not characteristic of our country, since it is traditionally customary to celebrate the day of the memory of Peter and Fevronia on July 8," the portal of Interfax -religion quoted the words of the deputy.

The Day of Family, Love and Fidelity is sometimes considered “our answer” to the festival of lovers popular all over the world and in Russia - Valentine's Day. However, according to Pavel Astakhov, authorized by the President of the Russian Federation on the President of the Russian Federation, Valentinov Day and Day of Family, Love and Fidelity are not competitors, but only part of one common idea.

“These are completely different, in my opinion, a hypostasis. Nobody competes with anyone here: neither from March 8, nor with Valentine's Day, nor with mother’s day, nor with my father’s day. Moreover, in many Western countries there is a day of mother, and Valentine's Day,” Astakhov said on Wednesday to Interfax agency.

He added that he does not consider it correct to contrast the traditional for Western culture and the popular day of Valentine in Russia, the Russian Day of the Family, Love and Fidelity, or otherwise - the Day of Peter and Fevronia, the holiday of saints, which in the Orthodox tradition are an example of love and fidelity.

“I am generally against any contrasts. This is an independent holiday, and, in my opinion, today everyone understands this. We do not have enough holidays for the family - this is true - when you can get together with a family,” said Astakhov.

He also commented on the initiative of the State Duma deputies from the LDPR faction, who offered to make the day of family, love and fidelity on July 8 by the public holiday and the weekend, so that on this day families could get together.

In his opinion, it can not be done by the weekend day, but in principle, he approved the initiative to make a special holiday to collect relatives of Astakhi.

Recall that, according to the recently conducted survey of Levada Center sociologists , Russians are more aware of Valentine's Day than about Peter and Fevronia, and so far they celebrate all lovers on February 14, than the Day of Love, Family and Fidelity on July 8.

According to the survey, 83% of Russians know about the holiday on July 8, of which 17% celebrate this day. Two years ago, the respondents' awareness was slightly lower - 77%.

95% of respondents are known about Valentine's Day, of which 37% celebrate this holiday (in 2013 - 86%), showed a survey conducted on June 19-22 among 800 people in 134 settlements of 46 regions of the Russian Federation.

In 2008, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity gained the official status of the All -Russian holiday - after the corresponding initiative of the inhabitants of Murom received support in the State Duma. The holiday is inextricably linked with the names of the Holy Murom Princes Peter and Fevronia, the heavenly patrons of the Orthodox family. The chamomile was his symbol at the initiative of the head of the organizing committee of the holiday, the wife of Prime Minister Svetlana Medvedeva. In more than ten cities of Russia, monuments to Peter and Fevronia were erected.

The holy noble Peter and Fevronia of the Murom are princes who ruled in Murom in the 13th century. The couple were an example of fidelity and love for each other, in old age they accepted monasticism and soon died at one hour. Being buried in different graves, their bodies were miraculously nearby, the legend says. After that, the spouses were buried in Murom near the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. In 1547, the church ranked them to the face of saints.