Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. Day of Peter and Fevronia of Murom

Tradition to celebrate July 8 Day of Family, Love and Fidelity appeared with us not so long ago. Therefore, I think it would not be amiss to tell you the history of this holiday.

The idea of ​​celebrating Family Values ​​Day in Russia arose in the city of Murom, Vladimir Region. In this city, in the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Holy Trinity Monastery, the relics of the holy spouses Peter and Fevronia, who are considered the patrons of Christian marriage, rest.

Peter and Fevronia are examples of family love and fidelity. They lived happily ever after in sorrow and in joy, in wealth and in poverty, in sickness and in health, and died on the same day and hour on July 8 (June 25, old style) 1228.

And so in the 90s of the last century in Murom they decided to combine the celebration of the city day with the Day of Peter and Fevronia.

And in 2002, residents of Murom came up with a proposal to celebrate Peter and Fevronia Day not only in their city, but throughout Russia.

It was decided to call this holiday the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. This initiative was supported by many public organizations, the Russian Orthodox Church, and all religious organizations in Russia. The organizing committee of the celebration was headed by the President of the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives, Svetlana Vladimirovna Medvedeva.

So, since 2008, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity has become an all-Russian holiday. Deputies of the State Duma officially established this holiday and it was decided to celebrate it annually on July 8th.

And the chamomile became a symbol of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.

Why did you choose her? Firstly, this wildflower is the most common at this time of year in Russia and is its bright personification (is it possible to imagine Russia without chamomile fields?), and secondly, it is a symbol of the dream of love and fidelity (not in vain, it has long been common fortune telling with chamomile "loves - does not love").

Every year, the Day of Family, Love and Loyalty becomes more and more popular. The number of settlements where this holiday is widely celebrated is growing, and everywhere it is celebrated in its own way.

The organizing committee of the holiday established the medal "For Love and Fidelity", which is awarded to distinguished married couples who have been married for at least 25 years, who set an example of the strength of family foundations and raised their children as worthy members of society.

This is the brief history of the emergence of the All-Russian holiday - the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.

And now I will tell the story of the love and life of Murom’s Peter and Fevronia, which formed the basis of the legend.

The story of Peter and Fevronia

This story dates back to the time when Pavel, Peter’s elder brother, reigned in Murom. But trouble happened in Pavel’s family - due to the devil’s obsession, a snake began to fly to Pavel’s wife. She told her husband about this. And Paul ordered her to find out from the serpent the secret of his death. She found out that the villain’s death was “destined to come from Peter’s shoulder and Agrikov’s sword.” Having learned about this, Peter decided to kill the rapist. He got hold of Agrikov's sword, tracked down the snake and struck it down. But the serpent splashed Peter with its poisonous blood, and from this Peter’s whole body was covered with ulcers and scabs.

No one knew how to cure Peter of a serious illness. And Peter himself, humbly enduring the torment, relied on God in everything.

And then on Ryazan land there was found a simple peasant girl, Fevronia, who had the gift of healing. And she told Peter’s servant that if the prince was sincere and humble in his words, he would be healthy. And she ordered the prince to be brought to her.

Peter promised the one who would cure him a great reward. However, Fevronia refused the reward, but set the condition: “if I do not become his wife, then it is not appropriate for me to treat him.”

In words, Peter promised to marry, but in reality he was lying. Princely pride did not allow him to marry a simple girl.

Fevronia unraveled Peter's cunning and pride. She told him to wash himself in the bathhouse and smear all the scabs on his body except one. The wise girl knew that illnesses are given for sins and the soul must be treated through bodily ailments. To be cured, Peter had to overcome his pride.

Peter was practically cured (only one scab remained), and did not fulfill his promise.

But soon the whole illness returned from this scab, and Peter was forced to turn to Fevronia again. This time he kept his word and returned healthy with his wife to Murom.

When Paul died, Peter began to rule in Murom. But the boyars, and especially their wives, disliked Fevronia, not wanting an ordinary peasant woman to rule over them. The boyars suggested that Fevronia leave the city, taking with her whatever she wanted. But Fevronia only needed her husband. And Peter, having learned that they wanted to separate him from his beloved wife, renounced power and went into exile with her.

The couple got into the boat and sailed along the Oka. They lived like ordinary people, but were happy to be together.

Meanwhile, unrest began in Murom. Many boyars laid claim to the throne. Blood was shed and killings began. In the name of peace and tranquility, the boyars sent ambassadors to ask Peter to return.

Peter and Fevronia returned to Murom and ruled there happily ever after, and Fevronia was able to earn the love of the townspeople.

When old age came, the couple became monks in different monasteries and prayed to God to allow them to die on the same day. They also bequeathed to bury themselves in a pre-prepared coffin with a thin partition in the middle.

Peter and Fevronia died on the same day and hour each in their own cell. But people considered it wrong to bury the monks in one coffin and took their bodies to different temples. However, in the morning their bodies miraculously ended up in the same coffin. So they had to be buried together.

In 1547, Peter and Fevronia were canonized at a church council. Since then, the holy spouses have been revered as patrons of family ties, and now the Day of Saints Peter and Fevronia, celebrated on July 8, has also become a secular holiday.

Congratulations on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity!

On this day, remember your parents, spouse, children, brothers, sisters... Tell them the warmest and most tender words of love, because in this world there is nothing more precious than close and dear people! Take care of them!

Of course, everyone has heard about this new holiday, many are even proud, so to speak, of our home-grown “Valentine’s Day”, but almost the majority of Russians have a vague idea of ​​​​the very essence of this “holy” holiday, as well as about its culprits - Peter and Fevronia, but since not only the Orthodox Church, but also the former head of state himself, known for his love for “advanced gadgets” and other electronic technologies, Medvedev sanctified with his authority the celebration of the day of Peter and Fevronia in Russia, a significant number of ordinary our fellow citizens seriously considered this couple of “saints” from Murom with the true ideal of family, marital love, friendship, etc., etc.
At the same time, out of usual laziness or naivety, people do not even try to look into the original source - the church life of Peter and Fevronia - but trust the euphonious church version of this story. Orthodox priests and their lay fans never tire of painting a couple of Murom “miracle workers” in the most attractive colors in modern media.

How the story of Peter and Fevronia sounds can be found out by reading the original source of this story - “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom” or in “Academic Studies of the Tale of Peter and Fevronia”, which were made under the editorship of Academician Panchenko, in which there are both Priluki and the Prichudsky edition and the Murom edition, which are considered the most complete. In fact, in the text of the lives of these “miracle workers” from Murom - at least the authentic one, dating back to the 16th century - you will find virtually nothing about love, family life, marital fidelity and so on. Let's remember what we are talking about when we talk about Peter and Fevronia. It should be noted that the very attempts of modern clerics to pass off Peter and Fevronia as some real historical persons who allegedly lived in the 13th century are essentially a lie - no Prince Peter , as well as his brother Paul mentioned in the “life”, who would have ruled in Murom neither in that century, nor before, nor after it, history does not know. Moreover, the chronicles are silent about some miracle worker Fevronia, who allegedly managed to become a Murom princess.

In fact, in the 13th century, the Principality of Murom was ruled by the Svyatoslavovichs, a branch of the Rurikovichs - Yuri Vladimirovich, the Prince of Murom had three sons - Vladimir, Davyd and Yuri. After the death of Yuri of Murom, first Vladimir Yuryevich ascended the throne, and after his death, Davyd Yuryevich, who ruled the Principality of Murom for 13 years. As we see, we do not see any Paul and Peter on the throne of the Murom Principality in the first half of the 13th century. Pavel, Peter and Fevronia are fictional characters.

However, by and large, in order to be convinced of the obvious far-fetchedness of “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”, it is not necessary to even delve into the history: just read the text of this life, and everything will fall into place.

This story begins with an absolutely fabulous plot, namely, with a story about the victory of the main character, Peter, over a certain flying “serpent” sent by the devil himself. In itself, such a plot as a duel with the Serpent is a classic for the folklore of various peoples since ancient times - it is also in Christianity, where it is embodied by St. George the Victorious, and in Russian folk epics, where such reptiles are “killed” with might and main by heroes like Alyosha Popovich or Dobrynya Nikitich... But if in most such folklore stories the hero rids his land and compatriots from a truly terrible enemy, a dangerous monster that brings evil to many people, then in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia” from the very beginning we encounter a rather pitiful and an absurd profanation of such an image of the Serpent - one might even say, with a kind of obscene caricature of it. For the “snake” there is not a threat to the human race as a whole, or to all of Rus', or to the individual Murom land and the city of Murom, but appears as an enemy of only one, specifically the princely family ruling there. This operetta serpent did not burn cities with fire, did not devour people and did not take beautiful maidens into captivity: instead of all this, he only got into the habit of “cuckolding” the Murom prince Pavel, the elder brother of that same Peter, who will be discussed below... Moreover , according to the plot of the Tale, this serpent appeared in the bedroom of the prince’s wife (unnamed princess) in human form, taking on the guise of her legal husband Pavel, so that none of the outsiders could suspect anything. It is unclear from the story at what exact moment the princess herself discovered such a scandalous circumstance, but it is mentioned that before she told her husband about everything, “it took a lot of time.” One must think that at first the prince’s wife was completely satisfied with her satanic lover. Further, when Prince Pavel learns the scandalous truth, he calls on his wife to decisively break with the serpent, so that she can finally “freed herself... from his evil breath, and hissing, and other abominations, which are shameful to speak of.” True, it is not clear from the text how the Murom prince was able to learn such intimate details of his wife’s intimacy with the “serpent” - one might think that he was personally present at the time - however, looking ahead, we will say that such a mention is generally the only moment in the whole this supposedly love story, at least somehow directly related to the topic of family life...

But this is not yet the fairy tale itself, but only a “saying”, where we are not yet talking about Fevronia or Peter himself, but only about the misadventures of his brother Pavel. Not only is there no historicity in this plot and cannot be, this mystical anecdote about a “scandal in a noble family” must be recognized as a rather vulgar beginning for a story about ideal love and marital fidelity, isn’t it?

But let's go further: how did the Orthodox prince of the city of Murom behave when he finally learned that some devilish spawn, all smelly and wheezing, was “taking advantage” of his beloved wife under his own guise?
Maybe Paul, as befits a medieval hero-knight, made the sign of the cross and stood with sword in hand to guard and defend his marital bed? Not at all, judging by the text“Tales...”, this faithful husband was seriously afraid, for some reason immediately deciding that he himself would never defeat such a formidable adversary! Therefore, he decided to act slowly, but according to an insidious plan. - He ordered his wife to continue, as before, to have intercourse with the nasty snake in order to lull the vigilance of the reptile, to find out from him the way in which he could kill him. - Of course, this plot for fairy-tale folklore is also classic, having already been found in the biblical legend about Samson and Delilah... The wife successfully completed the prince’s task: when the snake relaxed after yet another love affair with her, he told the princess, to his misfortune, that he would die destined "from Peter's shoulder, from Agrikov's sword."

Here, in fact, for the first time, the notorious Peter, the prince’s brother, comes into play for the first time, whom Paul, on the basis of intelligence received from his wife, instructs, in order to save his marital honor, to speak out against the insidious serpent, properly “with an itchy shoulder.” For this purpose, Peter soon armed himself, accordingly, with the “Agric sword”, which very conveniently turned up literally nearby - outside the city in the church of the Vozdvizhensky convent - “and from that day began to look for a convenient time to kill the serpent.” Here, however, the problem arose that the latter, as mentioned at the beginning, appeared in the princess’s chambers, taking on the image of her husband Pavel. In connection with this circumstance, the danger loomed before Peter of accidentally demolishing the jug with the “Agrik sword” by mistake for his own brother, the God-anointed ruler of the city of Murom, moreover, right on the bed of his lawful wife - which would have been clearly misinterpreted by the majority of ordinary Murom residents as regicide for the purpose of usurpation throne. In theory, the most reasonable option in such a delicate situation for Pavel would be to completely refrain from visiting his wife during the snake hunt, so that Peter, having caught her in the arms of the prince, could immediately cut from the shoulder, being sure that this husband - not real...

In general, whether long or short, Peter managed to safely avoid such confusion: having tracked down the vile snake in the princely chambers, he finished him off in no time with his wonderful Agric sword. - The vile satanic bastard, although he first tried to pretend to be Prince Paul, immediately before his death took on his true appearance: but, dying, he managed to splash Peter with his poisonous blood. The latter, apparently, was not taught that after a murder it is customary to wash, or even better, to sprinkle oneself with holy water in advance - and because of this oversight, Peter was soon covered with scabs and ulcers. Under such completely unthinkable and fantastic circumstances, he “fell seriously ill.”

This is where the first, introductory part of the “Tale...”, exploiting the hackneyed plot of the victory over the snake, ends, and the main part of this story begins - admittedly, much less fantastic, but much more vulgar.

So, Peter, suffering from his serious illness, began to look for a doctor who could heal him, but no one in the Murom principality was capable of this. Then the hero-snake fighter went to the neighboring land of Ryazan and began searching for a healer there. And then one of his servants came across the “very wise” peasant girl Fevronia, who possessed a unique gift of healing, in the village of Laskovo. Convinced of her abilities, the “youth” told Fevronia about his master’s misfortune, mentioning the reason for his painful condition, that is, the murder he had committed of a flying kite. However, contrary to expectation, the story of such a miraculous feat did not make any special impression on this commoner, because when the servants brought the ulcerated hero to her village, she set a completely cynical and arrogant condition: that she would cure him only if Peter took her as his wife.

As the "Tale..." says, at first he did not even think about taking some kind of hillbilly as his wife, however, dreaming of a speedy cure, he feignedly promised to become her husband if she healed his ulcers. Thus, both main characters of this story, now revered by the Russian Orthodox Church as “saints,” behave in this situation absolutely cynically and immorally, guided by vile calculations: Fevronia wants to take advantage of a unique opportunity to get a rich noble husband, and Peter hopes for any at the cost of getting away from such “happiness”, trying to openly deceive the peasant woman who has imagined herself. But in the end, Fevronia, who foresaw all this, outwitted the arrogant prince and deceived him.

Peter agrees and promises to marry. Fevronia, being a smart girl, apparently understands that she can be deceived, and she, performing all these manipulations to heal scabs: “And leave one scab unanointed.” That is, she leaves one ulcer, one scab for divorce, her plan is justified. Because, naturally, having refused to marry after his recovery, Prince Peter leaves, but he does not have time to get to his Murom: “And from that scab, many scabs began to disperse on his body. And he was all cut off with many scabs and ulcers, just like the first time.” And then he returns to Fevronia again, she again sets him a condition: either you take me as your wife, or I don’t treat you. He agrees, realizing that there is no other way out. And indeed, after the second case, when she treats him, he, fearing, probably, that somewhere something else remains unhealed and there will be no third time, actually marries her.

Then things get even funnier. That is, there is no talk of any love, of any feelings, of any relationship - pure blackmail. Fevronia dramatically improves her social and financial situation in this way. Peter is a victim of blackmail, and the object of blackmail is health and life.

Then, this couple lives in Murom for some time. “The Tale...” speaks very briefly about the further married life of Peter and Fevronia during the years of their reign in Murom, literally in a few phrases. Moreover, this description does not contain any specifics regarding the family life of the princely couple, but gives only a set of traits characteristic of ideal rulers and Christian saints in general in medieval literature - they say, they prayed a lot, kept the commandments of the Lord, took care of their subjects, helped wanderers and the poor, fed the hungry, etc., etc.

Fevronia and Prince Peter, as well as his previously deceased brother Pavel, had no children: at least, “The Tale...” for some reason makes absolutely no mention of them. But Davyd of Murom, whose person is considered the prototype of the dragon-fighting prince Peter, had three children - Evdokia, the future Prince Yuri of Murom and Svyatoslav.

Having lived to an advanced age and sensing the approach of death, Peter and Fevronia became monks: he under the name of David, and she under the name of Euphrosyne. Each of them went to his own monastery - thus, their awkward, tortured marriage nevertheless ended, in the concepts of that time, in divorce, because in the monastery, of course, no families, no wives and husbands can exist. This childless couple, who came together on the basis of blackmail, is divorcing, but the marital devotion of Peter and Fevronia, they say, was expressed in their desire to die at the same time as each other, for which they earnestly prayed to God...

And then comes some mythological circus in the style of a zombie apocalypse...

The death scene is described by the life in the best traditions of religious folklore. The monk Peter-David from his monastery sends news to the nun Euphrosyne-Fevronia that he is already dying, but she answers him: just wait, let me finish a patterned scarf for the church! He again reports that he is “moving away,” but his ex-wife again says that she has not finished sewing, and this is repeated again... For the third time, finally, Fevronia spat: without finishing the holy images on the scarf, she stuck it in and so she sent her needle to Peter to his monastery, after which both of them, as they wished, died on the same day, June 25 (old style) of who knows what year - when the Orthodox Church celebrates a holiday in their honor. Before their death, Peter and Fevronia bequeathed to be buried in the same coffin.

They are buried in different coffins, naturally. Because even in our time, no one has yet come up with the bright idea of ​​putting a monk and a nun in one coffin. Therefore, it was decided to bury Fevronia in the country convent of the Exaltation, and Peter, who was still a prince, in the cathedral church of the city of Murom. As soon as this burial takes place, suddenly, the next morning, the residents of Murom discover the monk and nun in the same coffin, in a completely different place. How and how they crawled together in order to lie down in one coffin, both history and life are silent.

Amazed Murom residents, and there was something to be amazed at - it is not every day that the corpses of dead rulers crawl around the capital at night, they were pulled out of there and again placed in separate coffins, but the next day they again found the dead in one grave...
And this happens several times. The Orthodox residents of the city of Murom eventually decided that it was better not to mess with these walking corpses, and left the bodies of Peter and Fevronia alone, in a common coffin, since they liked it there so much. “It’s just not clear why they needed to get a divorce and then so persistently strive for their reunion after death.” This pious narrative ends with the assurance that the relics of these “saints”, of course, have the miraculous property of healing pilgrims who come to them...

What can you say about this whole half-crazy story? - That it, like many other church tales, would be extremely vile if, fortunately, it were not completely fictitious! After all, all the main components of the plot are folklore here: Peter and Paul as the princes of Murom, and the flying serpent, and the undead crawling and self-packing into one coffin, and the very possibility of a simple village servant, even if she had great “intelligence,” to become a princess in Rus''s Middle Ages could only have taken place in a fairy tale...

But “the fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it - a lesson for good fellows!” And what is the hint, what kind of morality is revealed in “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia”? What can she teach modern “well done” and especially “girls”? .. To marry for convenience and thanks to blackmail? Living with a spouse without love and without children? End your family life with a divorce, then go to a monastery, and then be buried together? However, a good example...

It turns out that this childless, divorced couple, who came together because of blackmail, who after death for some reason, through the mud of Murom, are gathered in one coffin, has become a symbol of Russian love, family and fidelity. It is impossible to imagine anything more wild. And for some reason this couple has now been made a symbol of love, family and fidelity in Russia. It is very difficult to speak seriously here, because we are counting on wild dullness, on the fact that no one will ever read, even formally, even the life of the church. Not to mention some more solid sources. Again, relying on dullness.

Peter and Fevronia Day in 2020 is celebrated on July 8. This is a folk Christian holiday. It is dedicated to the day of remembrance in the Russian Orthodox Church of the blessed Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, the Murom miracle workers.

The content of the article

The life story of Saints Peter and Fevronia

Prince Peter lived in Murom in the 12th century. He suffered from leprosy. One day he dreamed that the peasant girl Fevronia healed him with the help of medicinal herbs. Peter found her in the Ryazan lands. After healing, he took his savior as his wife. The couple lived in peace and harmony until old age.

In their old age, they accepted the sacrament of monastic tonsure and asked God to die on the same day. Peter and Fevronia died on July 8 (June 25, old style) 1228. Their bodies were placed in different monasteries, but the next morning they found themselves together.

Peter and Fevronia were canonized as saints in 1547. They became patrons of family and marriage. The Orthodox Church honors them on July 8th. In Russia, since 2008, this day is considered the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.

Traditions and rituals of the holiday

On this day, services are held in churches. Parishioners attend services. Spouses pray to Saints Peter and Fevronia for family well-being, and those entering into marriage ask for blessings. Christians make a pilgrimage to the Holy Trinity Convent in Murom, where the relics of saints are kept.

On this day, many loving couples get married or get engaged. It is believed that such families will live in peace and harmony. Lovers and unmarried girls believe that on July 8 magical forces rule the earth. On this day, they tell fortunes about their betrothed and cast love spells.

What you can and cannot eat on Peter and Fevronia Day

The holiday falls on Peter's fast. If it falls on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday, then the Orthodox Church allows eating fish on this day, hot food without oil on Monday, and uncooked food of plant origin (dry eating) on ​​Wednesday or Friday.

What not to do on Peter and Fevronia Day

Signs and beliefs on the Day of Peter and Fevronia

• The weather on this day predicts the weather for the next 40 days.
• If you pray in front of the icon of Saints Peter and Fevronia, then the family will expect prosperity and a happy life.
• If you get married on July 8, then the future family will be strong and friendly.
• On the Day of Peter and Fevronia, you can ask the saints for health and prosperity for your children.
• Whoever spends this day in care side by side with his spouse will have prosperity and harmony in the family.

On Monday, July 8, 2019, Russians will celebrate the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity for the 12th time. This public holiday was established in 2008 by the Federation Council at the suggestion of Svetlana Medvedeva, wife of Dmitry Medvedev, who served as President of the Russian Federation from 2008 to 2012. Every year on July 8, the Russian Orthodox Church honors the memory of the Murom miracle workers Saints Peter and Fevronia, who are the patrons of family and marriage.

Why do many couples get married on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity?

A large number of couples believe that getting married on July 8 promises a long and happy family life. It is impossible to get married on the Day of Remembrance of Saints Peter and Fevronia, since this day falls on Peter's Fast, during which the church sacrament is not performed. But civil ceremonies in registry offices on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity are becoming increasingly popular every year.

Despite the fact that in 2019 July 8 falls on Monday, traditionally a day off at the registry offices, in Moscow 16 couples will be able to sign on this day. The ceremonies will take place at Wedding Palace No. 3, which has switched to daily operation, as told to the Moscow city news agency. Head of the Moscow Civil Registry Office Elena Efremova. She also noted that the pre-holiday dates: Friday, July 5, and Saturday, July 6, caused a great stir among those wishing to get married. These days, the capital's wedding palaces accepted more than 1.3 thousand applications.

Why are Peter and Fevronia considered patrons of marriage?

Information about the saints comes from the “Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” which was compiled by a monk in the mid-16th century Ermolai the Pregreshny upon request Metropolitan Macarius. This monument of ancient Russian literature was created in connection with the canonization of Peter and Fevronia at the Moscow Church Council in 1547, and is based on Murom oral traditions.

According to the legend, the Blessed Prince Peter was the second son of the Murom Prince Yuri Vladimirovich. He ascended the Murom throne in 1203. A few years earlier, Peter killed the fiery serpent. In place of traces of the serpent's blood that fell on Peter's body, ulcers formed; the future prince fell ill with terrible leprosy, which no one could cure. One day Peter had a dream in which it was revealed to him that the beekeeper’s daughter, a peasant woman from the village of Laskovo in the Ryazan land named Fevronia, could heal him. The prince found the girl, and she cured him.

After this, Peter married the girl, but the local boyars refused to recognize the princess as a commoner. They set a condition for Peter: either leave his wife or renounce his reign. The prince could not leave Fevronia and went into exile with her. After this, unrest began in Murom, and the boyars themselves asked Peter to return and continue his reign. The prince restored order in the city, and Fevronia was eventually able to earn the love of its inhabitants.

The princely couple led a righteous life, and in old age they took monastic vows with the names David and Euphrosyne. They prayed to God to die on the same day and bequeathed to put their bodies in one coffin. On July 8 (according to the old style - June 25), 1228, Peter and Fevronia died at the same hour, each in his own cell. Their bodies were placed in different monasteries, since burial in the same coffin was impossible due to their monastic status. But, as the legend goes, a miracle happened: the next day their bodies were found lying in the same coffin. Peter and Fevronia were buried in Murom, in the cathedral church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Legends about the miracles of the Murom prince and his wife were very popular and were passed down from generation to generation, and the saints themselves began to be revered as patrons of the family.

Peter and Fevronia of Murom. Photo: Public Domain

Some researchers identify Peter and Fevronia with Prince David Yuryevich, who ruled in Murom from 1205 to 1228, and his wife Euphrosyne. According to the chronicles, David took monastic vows with the name Peter.

How is the holiday celebrated?

Orthodox Christians go to churches on this day to pray to Peter and Fevronia for well-being in the family. Pilgrims flock to Murom to venerate the relics of these saints: they are located in the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Holy Trinity Convent. In Murom and other cities of Russia, on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, concerts are held, theatrical performances, reconstructions of scenes from the biography of Peter and Fevronia, various fairs and festivals are organized.

On the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, it is also customary to give daisies. This flower became a symbol of the holiday at the suggestion of Svetlana Medvedeva. Chamomile is the most common summer flower in Russian lands and represents purity, reliability and fidelity. Every year on July 8, married couples who have lived together for a quarter of a century or more are awarded a commemorative medal “For Love and Fidelity.” On its front side there is a chamomile flower, and on the back - Saints Peter and Fevronia.

How will the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity be celebrated in Moscow in 2019?

According to Head of the Moscow Department of Culture Alexander Kibovsky, From July 7 to July 9, 314 events will be held in the capital. The festive program is planned in parks, cultural centers, museums and libraries.

On Sunday, July 7, the main celebration will take place at the Tsaritsyno Museum-Reserve. Sports relay races and various master classes will be organized there, for example, on painting souvenirs, curly carving of vegetables, and soap making. In addition, Tsaritsino will host a concert with the participation of popular performers, including a family Malikovs And Larisa Dolina. The holiday will end with the ceremony of presenting the medal “For Love and Fidelity.”

Also on July 7, a historical ball will be held in Zaryadye Park. On Monday, July 8, a cartoon about the life of Peter and Fevronia will be shown free of charge in nine capital cinemas. On Tuesday, July 9, at the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve, in the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord, a unique concert of choral singing will be held. The schedule of festive events in the capital has been published on

Not everything that comes to us from Europe is beneficial. The European way of life and the desire to be like “them” have led to the fact that the institution of the family has lost its original meaning for many young people over the past 30 years. Career, material security and reluctance to take responsibility for other people came first.

It all starts with family

Holiday scenario option

Presenter: “Grandmothers and mothers, brothers, sisters and fathers, grandfathers, uncles and aunts! Good afternoon! How wonderful it is to spend the Day of Love, Family and Fidelity together! And our holiday concert begins with the little ones!”

Children come out and sing a song about family

Q: “Dear adults, for each of you the word “family” has its own meaning, let’s listen to what your kids say about family!”

On the screen there is a video clip with children’s statements about family.

Q: “Every holiday must have its own sign, symbol. Our family celebration also has it.”

A girl dressed as a daisy comes out and recites poetry:

"White daisy - the sun in the middle,

Ice-shaped petals turn white around the edges.

I'll pick a daisy, sit down and tell my fortune,

Now I know for sure that he loves me!

(hands out daisies to all guests)"

R: “Let each of you now have a little sun and warm your family!”

Q: “The morning is always good when the house smells of baked goods, when all the closest relatives gather around the big table! And to make the feast delicious, let’s ask grandma for our favorite pancakes!”

Children come out and sing the song “Grandma, bake pancakes”

Q: “It’s always customary to help in a family. And since we are also a big family, let’s see how the guys know how to help each other.”

Competition for the best tie for boys and the best hairstyle for girls.

Q: “And now our guys will tell you how much they love their dads and moms.”

Children come out and read poems about their parents.

Q: “And at the end of our holiday, let’s remember the most touching moments from the history of each family.”

A presentation created from family photographs of all participants in the holiday appears on the screen, accompanied by a song about the family.

The holiday of love, family and fidelity in kindergarten is a very important event, just like other holidays. It is necessary to cultivate love for family not only in children, but also in their parents. The more often this kind of event takes place, the sooner there will be peace and harmony in our families.