This holiday has religious roots, but it began to be celebrated relatively recently - in 2008. To be consistent, one holiday was singled out on the basis of another - July 8, in the Orthodox tradition, honors the memory of saints whose lives formed the basis for the understanding of a pious and worthy family.

History of the holiday

Prince Peter once fell ill with a serious illness (leprosy). He could not be cured, and therefore decided to check the dream he had. The dream said that the daughter of a wild honey collector, Fevronia, could save him from his illness. The girl, who had unique abilities, promised to help. But for this she asked the prince to make her his wife. The prince agreed, having the evil intention of deceiving the girl. But Fevronia, having cured him, left one wound on his body.

When the unscrupulous ruler fled, the disease broke out with renewed vigor. He had to come back, repent and fulfill his promise. The girl became his wife, but later the prince did not regret his decision at all. They lived a happy long life together. There were also trials in this life. The boyars wanted to expel the ruler if he did not expel his wife. He thought and left with Fevronia to live as a simple person.

But the outbreak of unrest forced the traitors to come to their senses. They begged for forgiveness, the prince and princess returned and successfully ruled until old age. When the husband and wife became very old, they went to different monasteries, took monastic vows and prayed to leave on the same day. And so it happened. Following the will, they were laid in one coffin, in a tomb made of one stone. God took the souls of the couple on July 8th. Since then, this day has been revered by Orthodox people, and since 2008 a secular holiday dedicated to the family has been celebrated.

A very famous holiday is Valentine's Day. There is probably no person on our planet who has not heard of him. But few people know about the Day of Family, Loyalty, Love, which is celebrated on July 8 (Slavic Valentine's Day). Let's get acquainted with the history of this holiday and its traditions, because it is part of our culture.

July 8, Family Day: history of the holiday

Since childhood, we have come across a touching saying in fairy tales: “They lived happily ever after and died on the same day.” It is borrowed from a famous story that children study in primary school. The work, which has become a monument of ancient Russian literature, was written in the 16th century. It was based on oral Murom legends.

The main characters in the story are Peter and Fevronia of Murom - faithful spouses who showed the main spiritual values ​​with their lives. The story of their love passed through several centuries, was not lost among other works and was not forgotten. She marked the beginning of a bright holiday, which recently began to be celebrated in Russia on July 8 (Day of Family, Love and Fidelity).

The Tale of Peter and Fevronia

The main characters who appear to the readers in the story are identified with the Murom prince and his wife. Peter suffered from leprosy. He could not get rid of his tormenting illness. Nobody was able to help him. One day the prince had a dream in which he saw that only Fevronia, a peasant woman, the daughter of a beekeeper, could cure him of a terrible disease.

Having met with a young and kind beauty, the prince spoke about his illness. Fevronia said that she would cure him, but in return he must marry her. The prince agreed to this condition. He was attracted not only by the cure, but also by the girl’s piety, wisdom, and beauty. Fevronia healed Peter, and he kept his promise.

The boyars, having learned about the event, condemned the prince. They demanded that he give up his wife, because she was a commoner. Peter did not take such a step, because it did not matter to him what origin Fevronia had. Together with his wife, he left Murom and abandoned the principality. Such an attitude towards Fevronia, love for her became an eternal example. To pass on such examples of values ​​to new generations, the holiday of July 8 was created in modern times - the Day of Peter and Fevronia, the holiday of Valentine's Day.

Return to the city and continuation of the love story

Murom did not exist for long without Peter and Fevronia. The outbreak of unrest, the ongoing murders and atrocities frightened the boyars. People, concerned about their future fate, asked the prince to return to the city with his wife. Peter and Fevronia agreed to this.

When Peter became a prince again, his marriage did not collapse. Fevronia arrived and was able to win the respect of the people living in this city. Her life-giving power of love was so great that poles stuck in the ground turned into beautiful trees with her blessing. With her wisdom and kindness, she endeared herself to the townspeople. Fevronia never insulted those people who did not love her. She tried to teach her opponents a harmless lesson, to show them the mistakes they made in life.

Death that cannot part

July 8 - Day of Family, Love and Fidelity - personifies eternal love. She was in the lives of Peter and Fevronia. People who once wanted to separate a married couple were unable to do so. This turned out to be beyond the control not only of them, but also of death. When the couple felt the end of their lives approaching, they asked God to die on the same day and hour and prepared for themselves a common coffin made of stone with a thin partition.

In old age, Peter and Fevronia went to male and female monasteries. When the prince felt that he was dying, he sent to his wife to inform him that he was waiting for her and wanted to leave this world with her. As a result, Peter and Fevronia died on the same day.

After the death of their spouses, people put their bodies in separate coffins. The townspeople could not fulfill the desire of the dead to be buried in one coffin, because they considered such an act incompatible with the monastic path that Peter followed with Fevronia. The bodies were left in different monasteries, and the next day they were discovered together. People decided to make another attempt and again separated Peter and Fevronia, but in the end nothing worked out for them. The bodies of the spouses again ended up in a single coffin. For the third time, the residents of Murom no longer separated them. Peter and Fevronia were buried together.

The appearance of the holiday in Russia

In 1547, Peter and Fevronia were canonized as saints of God, that is, they were canonized. The couple began to be considered saints. Their memorial day fell on June 25 (July 8, new style). In 2001, Valentin Kachevan, who is the mayor of Murom, proposed making the 8th a holiday in July. A huge number of people's signatures were collected. All of them were sent to the State Duma.

The measures taken were not in vain. The Day of the Holy Princes Peter and Fevronia has become the All-Russian Day of Family Happiness and Marital Love. From now on, July 8 is a holiday. A special organizing committee was created to develop the attributes and symbols of this special day of the year. It was headed by Svetlana Medvedeva, who is the wife of Dmitry Medvedev, who was president at that time.

Symbolism of Family Day, fidelity and love

The created organizing committee developed what was included in its plans. The symbol of the holiday is the chamomile, which has a pair of multi-colored petals among its white petals. One petal is colored blue and the other is red. Chamomile was approved for a reason. This flower has long been considered a symbol of love. Chamomiles were used for fortune-telling “loves or dislikes”. They were also given by young men and women to their ladies and wives as a sign of respect, attention and love.

The organizing committee has also developed a medal “For Love and Fidelity” to be awarded on July 8 to those families in our country who can serve as an example for other people. On one side of the medal there is a portrait of the saints - Peter and Fevronia. The opposite side is decorated with the symbol of the holiday - a beautiful daisy.

Monuments to the Murom couple

In connection with the advent of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, monuments to Peter and Fevronia began to be erected in Russia. The first of them appeared in 2008 in Murom, where a couple in love once lived. The sculptural composition was made according to the design of Nikolai Shcherbakov under the title “Union of Love - Wise Marriage” and installed in front of the city registry office on July 8. The holiday on this day was illuminated in Murom precisely from this event. The following year, monuments to Peter and Fevronia appeared in Arkhangelsk, Sochi, Ulyanovsk, Yaroslavl, and Abakan. Later they were erected in other settlements of our country.

To date, the idea of ​​​​creating a monument to July 8 has been implemented in more than 60 Russian cities. All sculptures look different, because they were not created according to a single model. Each project has its own author, who came up with a certain image and embodied it in stone, but the meaning of all monuments is the same - it is the personification of family, eternal love and fidelity.

Traditions and signs of the holiday

On the Day of Saints Peter and Fevronia, it has become a good tradition to come to the monument. This is done by both couples in love and single people who dream of finding their soulmate. It is also customary for newlyweds to come to the sculpture of Peter and Fevronia and ask the saints for help in maintaining love and fidelity to each other.

It has become a tradition and sign that marriages take place on July 8th. There is a belief that people who enter into an alliance on this day will live a long and happy life together. Their marriage will be strong and prosperous. Years will not be able to destroy it.

08.07.2016 - 7:00

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

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 married couples. The initiative to create the holiday belonged to the residents of Murom, and in 2008 the holiday became official and all-Russian. This is exactly the kind of holiday that was missing in modern society. In addition, this Russian Orthodox and at the same time civil holiday is a worthy alternative to the Catholic February 14th.

The marital union of Saints Peter and Fevronia was an example of Christian marriage. Their life is the story of a 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. The joys and problems that they had to face eight centuries ago are still relevant today - they are timeless. The holy spouses show us exactly those mental and spiritual qualities of a person that are necessary to create a true family.

Historians associate the names of St. Peter and Fevronia with Prince David Yuryevich and his wife Efrosinya. From 1205, for 23 years, Prince David Yurievich ruled in Murom. According to the chronicles, shortly before the start 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 sick with leprosy.

Once in a dream, David Yuryevich had a vision that near Ryazan, in the village of Laskovaya, there lived a young girl named Efrosinya, who alone could 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 made David promise that he would make her his wife. David did not keep his word, considering the commoner an unworthy bride. But then the illness 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 in old age, the pious spouses took monastic vows in different 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 style 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.

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 venerate 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 Peter and Fevronia’s acquaintance, the information telling about their life after the wedding is quite reliable. The chronicle also tells about the miraculous healing of Peter, numerous miracles that the righteous spouses performed and their deaths on the same day and hour.

Their lives are close to most of us, and therefore their story 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 is faced with a dilemma: his 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 openly 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 dissolution of the marriage.

Prince Peter finds it hard to bear 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 he must go into exile. The couple is being transported on a boat along the Oka River 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 the influential city. The struggle for power begins immediately; on the first night after his abdication, representatives of the boyar clans try to launch a preemptive strike on their opponents, which develops into a massacre. Realizing that all this could end in unrest 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 assert “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 obey rational, selfish considerations, the prince obeys the law of the heart. His 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 showed 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. Here blessed Prince Peter was overcome with thoughts: “How will I continue to live, having left the autocracy by my own will?” The devoted princess Fevronia answers him: “Do not grieve, prince: the merciful God, the Creator and Provider of everything, will not leave us in poverty!”

They trust in God and believe in Him - this is the most “unmodern”, 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, separated 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 flawed nature of human nature itself, which he cannot correct alone.

Peter’s medicine is Fevronia herself, a woman sent to him by God as his life partner. Only next to her was the prince healed, and only together can they rise to a new spiritual level: their earthly love and the love of God turn out to be 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 common journey in life and their 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 between two people. A man and a woman are created for each other, their union 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 loyalty he was then rewarded by God.

There is a widespread idea that a true Christian must suffer exclusively in earthly life in order to accumulate “spiritual capital” for the future life. However, the story of the Russian saints Peter and Fevronia refutes this idea. Life in Christ becomes real happiness for them, which they find in love for each other.

This 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 three whole days - from July 8 to 10.

According to the head of the capital's Department of Culture, Alexander Kibovsky, an additional two days were specially allocated 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 feature programs interesting for all ages. The culmination of the celebrations in Tsaritsino will be a festive concert, and a total of 27 festive venues will be organized in the city.

Festive events this year will take place in many other cities and villages throughout 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 memorial signs. The “Serenades for Loved Ones” 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 was chosen as the symbol of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity.

Since ancient times, this wildflower, common in Russia, has been considered a sign of love. Because love was understood here not just as a heartfelt feeling (which is what the “Valentine” in the shape of a heart symbolizes), but as fate and a life test - and like a flower in a field, it is open to all winds and frosts, but must withstand and withstand any difficulties.

This is exactly what Orthodox people ask for help from the holy believers 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 church origins, but has gone very far from its Christian roots. In the church calendar, under the date February 14, there is a mention of the three Saint 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 the faith. Since the church was united at that time, these saints are revered by both Catholics and Orthodox.

Tradition to celebrate St. Valentine as “Lovers' Day” appeared in Western Europe from the end of the 14th century. According to popular belief, on this day 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, unencumbered by a wife and family, would be better off fighting on the battlefield for the glory of Caesar, and forbade soldiers to marry.

The secret Christian Valentin was a field doctor who sympathized with unhappy lovers and secretly from everyone, under the cover of darkness, sanctified the marriage of loving men and women. Soon the activities of Saint Valentine became known to the authorities, and he was executed on February 14, 269. But in prison, the martyr Valentin managed to meet the guard’s daughter Julia, 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 see, the Western holiday is also based on a story of sacrificial love - but it does not concern the whole fate and married life, but only the story of a romantic acquaintance. Therefore, in our time, this holiday has actually degenerated into its opposite - instead of pure love, it preaches only casual relationships, non-binding fornication. In contrast, our Day of Family, Love and Fidelity sanctifies married life, fidelity and feat for each other.

Vitaly Darensky, LPR, for “Russian Spring”

The idea of ​​the holiday arose several years ago among residents of the city of Murom (Vladimir region), where the relics of the holy spouses Peter and Fevronia, patrons of Christian marriage, are buried, whose memory is celebrated on July 8.

All-Russian holiday 8 Day of Family, Love and Fidelity appeared thanks to the Murom prince Peter and his wife Fevronia, who lived in the 13th century. This married couple is revered by Orthodox Christians as the patrons of family and marriage.

The story of their romantic love and exemplary life has come to us in the descriptions of the ancient Russian “Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom,” which was written in the 16th century by Ermolai Erasmus. She talks about the prince’s illness, his meeting with Fevronia, miraculous healing, trials and their life together.

According to legend, the noble prince Peter, who ascended the Murom throne in 1203, suffered from leprosy. His serious illness could not be treated, but one day in a dream the prince had a vision: the maiden Fevronia, the daughter of a “tree-dweller” beekeeper from the village of Laskovoy in the Ryazan land, could heal him. The virgin healed Prince Peter, became his wife, they suffered persecution, but then again reigned safely in Murom.

Peter and Fevronia became models of marital fidelity, mutual love and family happiness during their lifetime. According to legend, they died on the same day - June 25 (July 8 according to the new style) 1228. Their bodies, placed in different places, miraculously ended up in the same coffin, which was considered a miracle. Peter and Fevronia were canonized at a church council in 1547. Their relics are kept in the Church of the Holy Trinity of the Holy Trinity Monastery in Murom.

The tradition of secular celebration of the day of Peter and Fevronia was restored by the residents of Murom in the 90s, when they decided to combine City Day with Family Values ​​Day.

In 2002, urban and rural youth of the Murom district came up with a proposal to revive the historical tradition of celebrating the Day of Peter and Fevronia not only in the homeland of the saints, but in all corners of Russia.

In 2008, the idea of ​​a broad celebration of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity was supported by many public organizations and figures, the Russian Orthodox Church, and the Organizing Committee of the celebration was headed by the President of the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives, Svetlana Vladimirovna Medvedeva. Under her leadership, the regulations on the holiday were developed and approved.

The symbol of Family Day is chamomile - a wildflower, the most common at this time of year in Russia, symbolizing dreams of love and fidelity.

From year to year, the geography of the celebration of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity is steadily expanding, and today in almost every locality in Russia the holiday is celebrated in its own way. Festive events take place on this day from Kaliningrad to Kamchatka, as well as in near and far abroad.

One of the common events that unites celebrations in all corners of Russia is the presentation of the Medal “For Love and Fidelity.” Established by the Organizing Committee of the holiday, the medal is awarded annually to married couples who have been married for 25 years or more, who set an example of the strength of family foundations, and who have raised their children as worthy members of society. Since 2014, by decision of the Organizing Committee of the holiday, it has become possible to award the medal “For Love and Fidelity” to mixed marriages - those in which one of the spouses is a citizen of Russia and the other is a citizen of a foreign country.

The main events of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity traditionally take place in the historical homeland of the holiday in the city of Murom. Theatrical performances, reconstructions of scenes from the biography of Saints Peter and Fevronia, and master classes on rare crafts are organized here. Guests and residents of the city visit fairs, attractions, and participate in animation programs.

Pilgrims visit holy places and venerate the relics of Murom miracle workers, praying for their help in finding their other half, or for harmony in families, respect and mutual understanding.

On this day, the Russian Orthodox Church celebrates the day of remembrance of Saints Peter and Fevronia, who from ancient times were considered patrons of family and marriage in Rus'.

The initiative to establish a new public holiday - the All-Russian Day of Married 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.

The love story of the holy couple is described in the ancient Russian "Tale of Peter and Fevronia of Murom".

According to the lives of the saints, the blessed Prince Peter was the second son of the Murom prince Yuri Vladimirovich. He ascended the Murom throne in 1203. Several years before his reign, Peter fell ill with leprosy, from which no one could cure him. In a dream, it was revealed to the prince that he could be healed by the beekeeper’s daughter Fevronia, a peasant woman from the village of Laskovoy in the Ryazan land. Fevronia was beautiful, pious and kind, moreover, she was a wise girl, knew the properties of herbs and knew how to treat ailments. The prince fell in love with Fevronia for her piety, wisdom and kindness and vowed to marry her after healing. The girl healed the prince, but he did not keep his word.

The illness resumed, Fevronia again cured the prince, and then he married the healer.

When Peter inherited the reign after his brother, the boyars did not want to have a princess of simple rank and demanded that the prince leave her. Peter, having learned that they wanted to separate him from his beloved wife, chose to voluntarily renounce power and wealth and go into exile with her. Peter and Fevronia left Murom, sailing on a boat along the Oka River. Soon, unrest began in Murom, the boyars quarreled, seeking the vacated princely throne, and 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.

In their old age, Peter and Fevronia took monastic vows in different monasteries with the names David and Euphrosyne, and prayed to God that they would die on the same day, and bequeathed themselves to be buried together in a specially prepared coffin with a thin partition in the middle.

They each died in their own cell on the same day and hour - July 8 (Old Style - June 25) 1228.

Considering burial in the same coffin incompatible with the monastic rank, their bodies were placed in different monasteries, but the next day they found themselves together. So they buried the holy spouses together in the city of Murom in the Cathedral Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Approximately 300 years after their death, Peter and Fevronia were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. Now the relics of Saints Peter and Fevronia rest in the Holy Trinity Convent in Murom.

The tradition of secular celebration of the day of Peter and Fevronia was restored by the residents of Murom in the 1990s, when they decided to combine City Day with Family Values ​​Day.

The Day of Family, Love and Fidelity became an all-Russian holiday in 2008.

The holiday received approval from the Interreligious Council of Russia.

The organizing committee of the holiday is headed by the President of the Foundation for Social and Cultural Initiatives, wife of the Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, Svetlana Medvedeva.

The symbol of Family Day is chamomile - a wildflower, the most common at this time of year in Russia, symbolizing dreams of love and fidelity.

Every year on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, married couples who have been married for 25 years or more and set an example of the strength of family foundations are awarded a public award - the medal "For Love and Fidelity". Since 2014, by decision of the Organizing Committee of the holiday, it has become possible to award a medal to mixed marriages - those in which one of the spouses is a citizen of Russia and the other is a citizen of a foreign country.