Day of family, love and fidelity: the “biography” of Peter and Fevronia turned out to be strange

The Day of Family, Love and Fidelity is celebrated in Russia for 15 years. And although since last year this day (July 8) has become an official holiday by presidential decree, it has not turned into a popular and mass holiday. We tried to figure out why.

After all, the idea is wonderful and very much in demand in our time, when Russian families and demography in the country are in deep crisis.

Using the helpless and dependent position of a seriously ill rich man, a female doctor forced him into legal marriage. Sounds like a crime news story, not a “happily ever after and died on the same day” story.

However, before you is a biography of Peter and Fevronia, the main characters of the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, which has been celebrated in modern Russia since 2008, and officially since 2022. Our answer to their Saint Valentine.

Here only where here about love and fidelity?

Forced marriage. A complete scam, on both sides. Peter, for curing him of a skin disease, first promised to marry the healer Fevronia, but then changed his mind, for which he received a relapse. The obviously not naive bride foresaw the possibility of the gentleman’s refusal of the indestructible princely word and, just in case, left one unhealed sore on his body.

Even the prince and princess died, each in his own monastery, male and female, although after death their relics always ended up, according to legend, in the same grave. Tired of carrying the remains, the people as a result resigned themselves, and left them together.

It turns out that on July 8, Russians are invited to admire the characters whose strange relationships and violent family ties are cited as an example to follow?

By the way, there is no such Murom prince and his wife in the chronicles. In the not very merciful era of Ivan the Terrible, the story about them, as follows from historical sources, was composed by Yermolai Erasmus at the request of Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow. Then, under the Terrible, Peter and Fevronia were declared saints.

The story is based on two folk tales about a fiery serpent and a wise maiden. The work is rightfully considered a monument of ancient Russian literature, this is a fact. But as an example for imitation and education of the younger generation – this story is clearly not ice.

What does tradition, spirituality and all that have to do with it? It is clear that they wanted the best, but it turned out as always. But for people who are at least somewhat versed in Russian history, literature and mentality, it looks rather ridiculous.

Peter and Fevronia, as you know, died child-free. Why take as an example a clearly non-canonical couple, certainly not capable of being an example of a strong Orthodox family with many children, of which there are a lot in the calendar?

Although a lot of money has been invested in promoting this holiday over fifteen years. Today, more than six dozen monuments dedicated to the Murom couple have been installed in Russia, and their creation was financed by orders from above by the largest companies in the Russian Federation.

Why do people who think over such braces, to put it mildly, not bother much? The true story of Peter and Fevronia is not some kind of secret.

Alas, so in Russia today in many ways. Substitution of concepts. Hypocrisy. Falsehood and lubok. When you want braces and traditions, but you get a crooked mirror. Words are one thing, but reality is quite another.

And all the same, they continue to produce holidays – without holidays, meanings – without meaning, ideology without ideas. And then they are also surprised that people do not want to follow the standards imposed from above, because real life is, rather, just like the true story of Peter and Fevronia, rather than the myth about her.

People, even if most of them know the history of their country very superficially, always feel that something is not right here.

According to the survey, 83% of Russians have heard of July 8, but only 17% have celebrated this day. 95% of respondents know about St. Valentine’s Day, 37% of them celebrate it.

Yes, unlike the same February 14, July 8 did not become a popular event in Russia. Although registry offices do register an unprecedented activity of lovers. But only.

A couple of years ago, in Sochi, it seemed like they announced an unprecedented decrease in abortions after the appearance of a monument to a married couple in the city, but this is also, rather, from a series of unverified miracles. But maybe in two hundred years this will be presented as an indisputable truth.