How did the idea come about

For the first time, they started talking about setting their own Valentine's Day in Russia in the city of Murom, which is located in the Vladimir region. People were inspired by the fact that it is in the monastery of their city that the relics of the couple Peter and Fevronia, who are considered the patrons of Orthodox marriage, rest. The Day of Remembrance of the Saints falls on July 8, so they began to talk about setting Family Day in Russia on this day.

The proposal of the residents of the city of Murom was supported throughout the country and in 2008, which was the year of the family in Russia, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity was celebrated for the first time. The inhabitants of Murom, of course, are great, but it all started many centuries ago, when the wise prince Peter ruled in Murom.

History of Peter and Fevronia

These people lived in the 13th century, Peter was the prince of Murom and he became very ill, no one could cure him. Then the prince was told that in the city there is a young maiden Fevronia, who heals any illnesses with herbs and prayers. He called the girl to him and she quickly put the prince on his feet. But, this time Peter was overcome by another, pleasant heart disease - he fell in love with Fevronia.

This is where the couple's first trials begin, Peter proposes to the girl and finds out that she loves him too and agrees to become a wife. But the boyars cannot come to terms with the fact that the prince, a man of noble blood, marries an ordinary girl without a clan and a devotee. Then Peter renounces the right to rule Murom and he and Fevronia get married, leave to live modestly and quietly next to Murom.

Interesting! The story of Peter and Fevronia has come down to our days thanks to what has been preserved in the Old Russian “The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom”. The story was written in the 16th century, it tells about what is already summarized in this article above. Prepare for a wonderful holiday.

Later, the boyars realized their mistake, because the townspeople doted on Peter and his wife, so they asked Peter to return to reign with his lawful wife. He was a fair and honest man, people loved him and lived well. A few years before their death, Peter and Fevronia go to a monastery and take tonsure. Last years
they spend their lives in prayer, and then they die on the same day.

Interesting! Despite the fact that the spouses asked to be buried together after death, the monks did not fulfill the order, because it was contrary to the church charter. But the next day, miraculously, the lovers were in the same coffin.

Peter and Fevronia was canonized in 1547, the relics of the couple are still kept in the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Murom. These saints are considered the patrons of the family in the Orthodox faith. Therefore, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity in Russia was set on the date of July 8th. July 8: the feast of Peter and Fevronia, the history of the holiday, you see, is wonderful and, of course, deserves our attention.

It must be said that the initiative to celebrate this holiday was formed back in 2002, when the most active was the rural youth of Murom, who said that it was important to revive the tradition of celebrating the Day of Peter and Fevronia not only in their homeland, but in all corners of the country. At the highest level, this proposal was heard only in 2008.

But, the holiday was officially accepted and now it is celebrated every year with songs, dances, dances and fun. The capital of the celebration, by right, is the city of Murom, where all important events take place. Although they celebrate the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, of course, throughout the country.

July 8: the feast of Peter and Fevronia, the history of the holiday is romantic and beautiful. One cannot but rejoice that an event has been found in the Orthodox calendar that encourages people to remember what a value, a support family is, what an important place it occupies in life.

I am glad that every year the geography of celebration, love and fidelity is expanding. In each locality of the country, this day is celebrated in its own way, but be sure to pay special attention to it. Remember that the Russian Valentine's Day falls on July 8 and this holiday is called the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.

On this day, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of memory of Saints Peter and Fevronia, who since ancient times were considered in Rus' as the patrons of the family and marriage.
The initiative to establish a new state holiday - the All-Russian Day of Conjugal Love and Family Happiness in honor of the faithful Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia was unanimously approved in the Federation Council at a meeting of the Federation Council Committee on Social Policy on March 26, 2008.

Since then, the Orthodox world has honored family patrons on July 8. The tradition of the secular celebration of the day of Peter and Fevronia was restored by the people of Murom in the 1990s: they decided to combine the day of the city with the day of family values.
The Day of Family, Love and Fidelity became a holiday on an all-Russian scale in 2008.
The holiday was approved by the Interreligious Council of Russia.

The organizing committee of the holiday is headed by the wife of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Svetlana Medvedeva. Chamomile was chosen as the symbol of the holiday. Every year on the Day of Family, Love and Loyalty, the best families in Russia are awarded a public award - a medal for love and fidelity.
On one side of the medal is depicted the symbol of the holiday - a camomile, on the reverse - the faces of Saints Peter and Fevronia. The slogan of the medal: for love and loyalty to the family. Along with the medal, valuable gifts are also awarded, which correspond to the "family theme" and are determined by local authorities and organizers.

The tradition of rewarding married couples with a long history of family union, which is based on love and fidelity, will take on a new dimension from 2013. In response to numerous appeals and requests to increase the number of awards issued, the organizing committee decided that this year each subject of the Russian Federation will receive 70 sets of medals instead of 50.

The holiday itself took root not only in our country. In 2012, in addition to Russia, it was celebrated in almost 40 countries around the world.
The main celebrations will be held in the Vladimir region and in the city of Murom.

In 2013, for the first time, such a resource as SMS-informing about the holiday will be used. This task is undertaken by the Health and Motherhood Foundation.
The annual Abortion Prevention Awareness Campaign "Give Me Life" traditionally starts on July 9th and runs until July 15th.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from RIA Novosti and open sources

On July 8, the Orthodox Church celebrates the day of memory of the holy noble princes Peter and Fevronia of Murom - the patrons of family well-being, mutual respect and sincere love. Their marriage has been a model of Christian marriage for many centuries.

Their story resembles a kind fairy tale about love - big and pure. They serve as an example for all lovers, because they lived in sorrow and joy, wealth and poverty, and no one could separate them, even death.

Big love story

According to the Lives of the Saints, Prince Peter was the second son of Prince Yury Vladimirovich of Murom. He ascended the throne of Murom in 1203. A few years earlier, Prince Peter fell ill with leprosy, from which no one could cure him.

And then the prince had a prophetic dream that the daughter of the beekeeper Fevronia, a peasant woman of the village of Laskovaya in the Ryazan land, could heal him. The girl from childhood studied herbs and had the gift of healing, and even wild animals obeyed her and did not dare to show aggression.

The prince fell in love with Fevronia for her piety, wisdom and kindness and vowed to marry her after the healing. The girl healed the prince, but he did not keep his word. The disease resumed, Fevronia again cured the prince, and he married the healer.

When Peter inherited the principality after his brother, the boyars did not want to have a princess of a simple rank and demanded that the prince abandon her. Peter, having learned that they wanted to separate him from his beloved wife, chose to voluntarily give up power and wealth and go into exile with her.

In exile, the young wise princess supported her saddened husband in every possible way. When there were difficulties in the house with food and money, she always found a wonderful way out. Peter still idolized his wife and never reproached him for the fact that for her sake he had to renounce the principality and live in hardship.

Soon turmoil began in Murom, the boyars quarreled, seeking the vacant princely throne, blood was shed. Then the boyars, who came to their senses, gathered a council and decided to call Prince Peter back. The prince and princess returned, and Fevronia managed to earn the love of the townspeople. They ruled happily ever after.

The Saints

In their advanced years, Peter and Fevronia took tonsure in different monasteries with the names David and Euphrosyne, and prayed to God to die on the same day, and bequeathed to bury themselves together in a specially prepared coffin with a thin partition in the middle.

Tradition says that they really departed to another world on the same day - this happened on July 8, 1228, according to a new style. Considering the burial in one coffin incompatible with the monastic rank, their bodies were laid in different monasteries, but the next day they were together.

After such a miracle happened for the second time, the monks buried the holy spouses together in the city of Murom in the cathedral church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos.

Approximately 300 years after his death, Prince Peter of Murom and his wife Fevronia were canonized. The Orthodox Church declared them the patrons of the family, and the relics of the saints found peace in the Holy Trinity Convent in the city of Murom.

Day of Family, Love and Fidelity

The memory of the miracles and deeds of these saints was passed down from generation to generation. The Orthodox holiday is celebrated in many countries of the world, but the main celebrations take place in Murom.

Residents of Murom, where the holy spouses have always been revered, decided to combine City Day with an Orthodox holiday. So since 2008, a new Russian holiday has been born, glorifying love and devotion.

The symbol of the holiday of pure and selfless love has become a camomile - a flower that is especially popular with all lovers. Later, the Family Day got its own medal, on one side of which a camomile is depicted, and on the other, the faces of Peter and Fevronia.

The medal is traditionally awarded to married couples in which love and mutual understanding reign.

The eighth of July in Russia has become an analogue of Valentine's Day, which Catholics celebrate on February 14th. The day of Peter and Fevronia is celebrated as the day of lovers.

Traditions and signs

Many customs and signs are associated with the holiday of Peter and Fevronia.

According to tradition, people go to church to pray for love, family happiness, the preservation of marriage and well-being. They ask for the intercession of the saints if the relationship between the spouses has deteriorated and there is only hope for divine help.

At the icon of Saints Peter and Fevronia, you can pray for family happiness, for the birth of children, for the health of loved ones, and even for a successful marriage. Many believers recognized the fact that after appeals and requests to these saints, their family life improved.

On this day, in the old days, according to the customs, the young people celebrated their engagement. In Rus', such a ceremony was an analogue of a modern marriage contract. Couples exchanged rings and gave each other an oath of allegiance in the presence of parents and guests. From that moment on, they received the status of the bride and groom.

The duration of such an agreement was approximately three to six months, after which a final decision was made.

On the day of Peter and Fevronia, it was possible to find out the weather for the next 40 days. It is believed that if it is clear on July 8, then the weather will be clear and warm for all 40 days.

On the day of family, love and fidelity, various fortune-telling and rituals are also performed related to the family, marriage, wedding, the birth of children, the establishment of peace in the family and the preservation of love between spouses.

Material prepared on the basis of open sources

Of course, everyone has heard about this new holiday, many are even proud, so to speak, of our home-grown "St. Valentine's Day", but almost the majority of Russians have a vague idea about 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 of "advanced gadgets" and other electronic technologies, Medvedev consecrated the celebration of the day of Peter and Fevronia in Russia with his authority, then a significant number of our ordinary fellow citizens quite seriously considered this pair of "saints" from Murom with the true ideal of the family, conjugal love, friendship, etc., etc.
At the same time, due to 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 harmonious church version of this story. Orthodox priests and their fans from among the laity do not get tired of painting in the modern media a couple of Murom "miracle workers" in the most attractive colors.

You can find out how the story of Peter and Fevronia sounds 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 edited by Academician Panchenko, in which there is both Priluki and the Peipsi 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 figures who allegedly lived in the 13th century are, in fact, a lie - no Prince Peter , as well as his brother Pavel, who would have ruled in Murom in that century, neither before nor after him, history does not know. Moreover, the chronicles about some miracle worker Fevronia, who allegedly managed to become a Murom princess, are silent.

In fact, in the 13th century, the Murom principality was ruled by the Svyatoslavoviches, a branch of the Rurikovichs - Yuri Vladimirovich, the prince of Murom had three sons - Vladimir, Davyd and Yuri. After the death of Yuri Muromsky, first Vladimir Yuryevich ascended the throne, and after his death already Davyd Yuryevich, who ruled the Principality of Murom for 13 years. As we see, we do not observe any Paul and Peter on the throne of the Principality of Murom 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 even necessary to delve into 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 a Serpent is a classic for the folklore of various peoples from ancient times - it also exists in Christianity, where it is embodied by George the Victorious and in Russian folk epics, where such reptiles are "wet" with might and main by heroes like Alyosha Popovich or Dobrynya Nikitich ... But if in most of these folklore stories the hero saves his land and compatriots from a really terrible enemy, a dangerous monster that brings evil to many people, then in "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia" from the very beginning we meet with a rather pathetic and an absurd profanation of such an image of the Serpent - one might even say, with some obscene caricature of him. For the local "serpent" is not a threat to the human race as a whole, or to all of Rus', or to the separately taken Murom land and the city of Murom, but appears as an enemy of only one princely family that specifically rules there. This operetta serpent did not burn the city with fire, did not eat people and did not take into the full of beautiful girls: instead of all this, he got into the habit of just "pulling the horns" to Prince Pavel of Murom, the elder brother of the same Peter, who will be discussed below ... Moreover , according to the plot of the Tale, this snake appeared in the bedroom of the prince's wife (unnamed princess) in human form, taking on the guise of her lawful husband Pavel, so that none of the outsiders could suspect anything. It is not clear 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, "a lot of time passed." One must think that at first the prince's wife was quite satisfied with her satanic lover. Further, when Prince Pavel finds out the scandalous truth, he urges his wife to decisively break with the snake, so that she can finally "free herself ... from his evil breath, and sibilance, and other abominations, which are ashamed to say." True, it is not clear from the text how the prince of Murom was able to find out such intimate details of his wife's closeness to the "serpent" - one might think that he was personally present at the same time - however, looking ahead, we say that such a mention is generally the only moment in the whole this supposedly love Tale, at least somehow directly related to the theme of family life ...

But this is not yet a fairy tale itself, but only a "saying", where it is not yet about Fevronia or Peter himself, but only about the misadventures of his brother Pavel. Not only is there not and cannot be any historicity in this plot, 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, finally knowing that some kind of devilish offspring, all of himself so smelly and hoarse, "uses" his beloved wife under his own guise?
Maybe Paul, as befits a medieval hero-knight, signed himself with the sign of the cross and stood with a sword in his hand to guard and defend his marital bed? Not at all, according to the text"Tell ...", this faithful husband was seriously scared, 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 intercourse with the ugly snake in order to lull the vigilance of the reptile, to find out from him the way in which you can kill him. - Of course, this story is also a classic for fairy-tale folklore, meeting already in the biblical legend about Samson and Delilah... destined "from Peter's shoulder, from Agrikov's sword."

Here, for the first time, the notorious Peter, in fact, enters the matter - the brother of the prince, whom Pavel, on the basis of intelligence received from his wife, instructs, in order to save his marital honor, to oppose the insidious snake, as it should be "itching with his shoulder." For this purpose, Peter soon armed himself, respectively, with the "Agric sword", which very conveniently turned up literally nearby - outside the city in the church of the Vozdvizhensky Monastery for Women - "and from that day he began to look for a convenient time to kill the serpent." Here, however, the problem arose that the latter, as already mentioned at the beginning, appeared in the princess's chambers, taking the form of her husband Pavel. In connection with this circumstance, Peter was faced with the danger of accidentally demolishing the jug of his own brother, the God-anointed ruler of the city of Murom, with the "Agrikov sword" by mistake, moreover, right on the bed of his lawful wife - which would be 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 hunt for a snake - so that Peter, having caught her in the arms of the prince, could immediately chop from his shoulder, being sure that this husband - not real...

In general, for a long time, for a short time, but Peter managed to safely avoid such confusion: having tracked down a vile snake in the prince's chambers, he finished him off in no time with his wonderful Agrikov sword. - The vile satanic reptile, although at first he 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 the murder it was customary to wash, or even better to sprinkle himself with holy water in advance - and because of this oversight of his, Peter soon became covered with scabs and ulcers. Under such completely unthinkable and fantastic circumstances, he "became seriously ill."

This is where the first, introductory part of the "Tale ...", exploiting the hackneyed plot of the victory over the serpent, ends, and the main part of this story begins - it must be admitted, much less fantastic, but much more vulgar.

So, suffering from his serious illness, Peter began to look for a doctor who could heal him, but no one in the Principality of Murom was able to do this. Then the hero-serpent fighter went to the neighboring Ryazan land, and began searching for a healer there. And then one of his servant stumbled in the village of Laskovo on the "very wise" peasant girl Fevronia, who owned a unique gift of healing. Convinced of her abilities, the "lad" told Fevronia about the misfortune of his master, mentioning the reason for his ill condition, i.e., the murder of a flying kite he had committed. However, contrary to expectations, 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 allow the thought of marrying some kind of redneck, however, dreaming of a speedy recovery, he pretended to promise 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 a vile calculation: Fevronia is eager to take advantage of a unique opportunity to have a rich noble husband, and Peter, on his part, hopes any at the cost of getting away from such "happiness", trying to frankly cheat a peasant woman who has imagined herself. But in the end, Fevronia, who foresaw all this, outwitted the arrogant prince, and deceived him himself.

Peter agrees and promises to marry. Fevronia, being a not stupid girl, apparently understands that she can be fooled, 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, of course, having refused to marry after being cured, 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 the whole is aggravated by many scabs and ulcers, as if for the first time. And then he returns to Fevronia again, she again sets a condition for him: either you take me as your wife, or I won’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 something else has remained untreated somewhere and there will not be a third time, he really marries her.

Then it gets even funnier. That is, there is no question of any love, no feelings, no 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. About the further married life of Peter and Fevronia during the years of their reign in Murom, "The Tale ..." speaks very briefly, literally in a few phrases. Moreover, this description does not contain absolutely any specifics relating specifically to the family life of the princely couple, but only gives a set of features characteristic of ideal rulers and, in general, Christian righteous people in medieval literature - they say that they prayed a lot, kept the commandments of the Lord, took care of their subjects, they helped the wanderers and the poor, fed the hungry, and so on and so forth.

Fevronia and Prince Peter, as well as his previously deceased brother Pavel, did not have children: at least, "The Tale ..." for some reason does not mention absolutely anything about them. But Davyd of Murom, whose person is considered the prototype of the prince-serpent fighter 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 took the veil as monks: he under the name of David, and she - Euphrosyne. Each of them went to his monastery - thus, their awkward, tortured marriage nevertheless ended, in the concepts of that time, with a 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 getting divorced, while 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 prayed intensely to God ...

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

The scene of death is described by life in the best traditions of religious folklore. Monk Peter-David from his monastery sends news to the nun Euphrosyne-Fevronia that he is already dying, but she answers him: they say, wait, let me sew a patterned scarf for the church! He again reports that he is “leaving”, 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 she sent her needle to Peter in his monastery, after which both of them, as they wished, died on the same day, June 25 (according to the old style), who knows what year, when the Orthodox Church celebrates a holiday in their honor. Before their death, Peter and Fevronia bequeathed to bury them in the same coffin.

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

The people of Murom were amazed, and there was something to be amazed at - not every day the corpses of dead rulers crawl around the capital at night, they were pulled out of there and again transferred to 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 like it there so much. - It is not clear why they needed to get divorced in order to then with such persistence seek their reunification after death. This pious narrative ends with the assurance that the relics of these "saints", of course, have the miraculous property of healing the pilgrims who come to them ...

What can be said about this whole semi-crazy story? - That it, like many other church tales, would be extremely vile, if, fortunately, it were not completely fictional! After all, all the main components of the plot are folklore here: both Peter and Pavel as the princes of Murom, and the flying kite, and the ghouls crawling and self-fitting into one coffin - and the very possibility of a simple village servant, albeit with great "reasonableness", to become a princess on Rus' of the Middle Ages could only take place in a fairy tale ..

But "the fairy tale is a lie, but there is a hint in it - a lesson for the 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"? .. Get married 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, then to 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 gathers in one coffin through Murom mud, has become a symbol of Russian love, family and fidelity. Nothing wilder can be imagined. And for some reason this couple is now made a symbol of love, family and fidelity in Russia. It is very difficult to speak seriously here, because, based on wild dullness, on the fact that no one will ever read, even formally, even the church life. Not to mention some more solid sources. Again, the calculation of dullness.

08.07.2016 - 7:00

Since 2008, a very important and beautiful holiday has been officially celebrated in Russia on July 8 - the All-Russian Day of Family, Love and Fidelity. This year the holiday will be held for the first time in the Lugansk People's Republic.

On July 8, the Russian Orthodox Church honors the memory of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom, the miracle workers - Orthodox patrons of marriage in Rus', whose life is an example of love and fidelity for all couples. The initiative for the appearance of the holiday belonged to the residents of Murom, and in 2008 the holiday became official and all-Russian. Such a holiday was lacking in modern society. In addition, this Russian Orthodox and at the same time civic holiday is a worthy alternative to the Catholic February 14th.

The marital union of Saints Peter and Fevronia was a model of Christian marriage. Their life is the story of the relationship between a man and a woman who managed to overcome all the difficulties of a long and difficult earthly journey, revealing the ideal of a Christian family. Those joys and problems that they had to face eight centuries ago are relevant to this day - they lie outside of time. The holy spouses show us precisely those spiritual and spiritual qualities of a person that are necessary for creating a true family.

Historians associate the names of St. Peter and Fevronia with Prince David Yurievich and his wife Efrosinya. From 1205, for 23 years, Prince David Yurievich ruled in Murom. According to the chronicles, shortly before the beginning of his reign, he fell ill with a terrible disease, his body was covered with ulcers, and no treatment helped. It is assumed that the prince was ill with leprosy.

Once in a dream, David Yuryevich had a vision that near Ryazan, in the village of Laskovaya, a young girl named Efrosinya lives, who alone can heal him. The virgin was wise beyond her years and well versed in the healing properties of herbs. The future Prince David turned to her for help.

Before curing him, Euphrosyne took a promise from David that he would make her his wife. David did not keep his word, considering the commoner an unworthy bride. But then the disease manifested itself with renewed vigor, and David again had to ask Euphrosyne for healing. This time he kept his promise and took her as his wife.

Already at an advanced age, the pious spouses took monastic vows in various monasteries with the names Peter and Fevronia. In their prayers, the couple asked God to die on the same day. And so it happened. In 1228, on June 25 according to the old or July 8 according to the new style, the Orthodox saints Peter and Fevronia left this world for eternal life.

In the 16th century, the couple were canonized as saints.

The first written text dedicated to them - "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom" - was also written approximately in the 15th-16th centuries. In Rus', for many centuries there has been a wonderful tradition - to arrange an engagement on July 8th. Today you can bow to the relics of Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom in the Holy Trinity Monastery in the city of Murom.

Researchers agree: despite the legendary story of the acquaintance of Peter and Fevronia, the information that tells about their life after the wedding is quite reliable. The chronicle also tells about the miraculous healing of Peter, the numerous miracles that the righteous spouses performed and their deaths in one day and hour.

Their lives are close to most of us, and therefore their history will never lose its relevance. From an everyday point of view, there was only one truly difficult moment in the fate of Peter and Fevronia. Immediately after the wedding, Prince Peter faces a dilemma: a young wife or everything else that happened in his life. Marrying a peasant woman does not find support among the urban elite of Murom. The boyars frankly declare this first to the prince, and then to Fevronia herself. They offer the prince a choice: renunciation of his title (which means exile and poverty) or divorce.

Prince Peter is hard on what is happening, but, nevertheless, makes a choice in favor of his wife. From now on, he is no longer a prince, and together with his wife must go into exile. On the boat, the spouses are being taken along the Oka away from Murom ... This story is resolved unexpectedly quickly and safely.

It turns out that Prince Peter was a key figure in the political life of an influential city. The struggle for power begins immediately, on the first night after his abdication, representatives of the boyar clans try to deliver a preemptive strike against opponents, which develops into a massacre. Realizing that all this could end in turmoil and civil war, the rulers of Murom call the prince back. From now on, the question of his "unequal marriage" is not raised.

The main thing in this episode is the reasons for the choice made by the spouses. Peter does not affirm "the primacy of the personal over the public", but simply follows in his actions the Christian law of love and mercy. In a difficult situation, when it was possible to cheat or submit to rational, selfish considerations, the prince obeys the law of the heart. The wife was given to him by God, and he cannot go against the will of God. The prince is not looking for personal benefit, profit, but is trying to follow the path that the Lord has shown him.

On the first day of exile, a dialogue took place between the spouses, which is given in the Tale: “Evening was approaching, they began to moor to the shore. Then the blessed Prince Peter was overwhelmed with thoughts: “How will I continue to live, leaving autocracy by my own will?” The amazing Princess Fevronia answers him: “Do not grieve, prince: the merciful God, Creator and Provider of everything will not leave us in poverty!”

They trust in God and believe in Him - this is the most "outdated", but the most important characteristic of their relationship. Spouses are always guided not by selfishness and the search for what is convenient for themselves, but by faith and hope in the One who gave them life and blessed their marriage.

As we remember, the prince, in separation from Fevronia, by the Providence of God, falls ill again - and this event expresses the highest meaning of Christian marriage. The prince's illness is a symbol of the inferiority of human nature itself, which he cannot fix alone.

Peter's medicine is Fevronia herself, a woman sent to him by God as a life partner. Only next to her the prince was healed, and only together they will be able to rise to a new spiritual level: their earthly love and the love of God are inseparable from each other. That is why Fevronia does not let the prince go: she already feels that without her he will die. Over time, Peter himself understands this. Thus began their joint life path and a joint path to God.

For the Orthodox Church, Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom are of great importance, first of all, as a symbol of a special spiritual path, on which the comprehension of God is inextricably linked with the relationship of two people. A man and a woman are created for each other, their combination in itself embodies the Divine plan. But this connection is possible only if a person sees in another person a unique personality created in the image of God. And the prince for the sake of his wife renounced his position and voluntarily went into exile and poverty. But for this faithfulness he was then rewarded by God.

It is widely believed that a true Christian must suffer exclusively in earthly life in order to accumulate "spiritual capital" for the life to come. However, the history of the Russian saints Peter and Fevronia refutes this idea. Life in Christ becomes for them real happiness, which they find in love for each other.

Such is the meaning of the holiday of Family Day, love and fidelity, based on Orthodox traditions and folk wisdom and preaching the strength and inviolability of family ties, the pious attitude of spouses, respect for parents, love for children.

Celebrations in honor of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity this year in Moscow will last for three whole days - from July 8 to 10.

According to the head of the Moscow Department of Culture, Alexander Kibovsky, an additional two days were specially set aside for celebrations so that as many people as possible could take part in them.

The center of the holiday will be an amusement park in Tsaritsyno, which will present programs that are interesting for all ages. The culmination of the celebrations in Tsaritsyno will be a festive concert, and in total 27 festive venues will be organized in the city.

Festive events this year will also be held in many other cities and villages in all regions of Russia. Festive events are focused on the interests of people of different ages and different marital status. Their programs include honoring newlyweds and married couples who have lived together for many years, and presenting memorable signs. The Serenade for Lovers venue promises to be romantic and especially memorable. Here, the knights of our time will be able to make an original declaration of love to their Beautiful Ladies by performing a serenade for them.

Chamomile has been chosen as the symbol of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.

Since ancient times, this wild flower, common in Russia, was considered a sign of love. Because love was understood here not just as a heartfelt feeling (which symbolizes the "valentine" in the form of a heart), but as fate and a life test - and like a flower in a field, it is open to all winds and frosts, but must endure and endure any difficulties.

This is what Orthodox people ask for help from the holy faithful Peter and Fevronia.

How does our Day of Family, Love and Fidelity differ in meaning from the Western "Valentine's Day"?

The Western holiday also has a church origin, but it has gone very far from its Christian roots. In the church calendar, under the date February 14, there is a mention of the three saints Valentines. All of them lived in the first centuries of our era, during the period of persecution of Christians, and were martyrs who died for their faith. Since then the church was one, these saints are revered by both Catholics and Orthodox.

The tradition of celebrating St. Valentine as a "day of lovers" appeared in Western Europe from the end of the 14th century. According to popular belief, on this day the birds begin to look for a mate.

In France and England, the life of St. Valentina gradually began to acquire legends associated with the secret wedding of couples in love. According to legend, the Roman emperor Claudius II decided that a single man, not burdened with a wife and family, would be better off fighting on the battlefield for the glory of Caesar, and forbade the soldiers to marry.

Secret Christian Valentine was a field doctor who sympathized with unfortunate lovers and secretly from everyone, under cover of night, consecrated the marriage of loving men and women. Soon the activities of St. Valentine became known to the authorities, and he was executed on February 14, 269. But in the dungeon, the martyr Valentine managed to meet the overseer's daughter Yulia, and before his execution he wrote her a declaration of love and signed it "Your Valentine". It was read after he was executed. Many centuries later, following the legend, such notes began to be called “valentines”.

As we can see, the story of sacrificial love also lies at the heart of the Western holiday - but it does not concern the whole fate and married life, but only the story of a romantic acquaintance. Therefore, already in our time, this holiday has actually degenerated into its opposite - instead of pure love, it preaches only casual relationships, non-committal fornication. Unlike it, our Day of Family, Love and Fidelity sanctifies married life, fidelity and feat for each other.

Vitaly Darensky, LPR, for "Russian Spring"