Presidential Library marks the Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness

On July 8th, Russia celebrates the Day of Family, Love, and Faithfulness. This official holiday was established in 2022 when Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree titled About the Day of the Family, Love, and Faithfulness. The document states that the holiday was created in order to promote traditional family values and the spiritual and moral upbringing of children and young people. By decree, 2024 was declared the Year of the Family in Russia.

The date chosen for this holiday is not random - it commemorates the memory of the holy Prince Pyotr and Princess Fevronia of Murom. Their story of love and loyalty is told in the rare book New Relations: The Murom Legend of Pyotr and Fevronia and the Saga of Ragnar Lodbrok, which was published in 1870 and is now part of the collection at the Presidential Library.

The Presidential Library also provides information about the family traditions of our people, rules of marriage, "searches" for a spouse, prohibitions on marriage, and other interesting facts.

The collection of documents and materials on the portal of the Presidential Library, titled Family and Traditional Family Values in Russia as the Basis of Russian Statehood, tells the history of the family in Russia from ancient times to the present day. Here, periodicals, archival documents, and photographs are available. Considerable attention is paid to state policies on preserving and strengthening family values in the Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and Russian Federation. The collection also discusses assistance to military families, family relations among different peoples of Russia, and child-rearing, including orphaned children.

Yakov Abramov's book Marriage and Family (1900) details the rules of marriage that were followed by our ancestors. One of the most important aspects that has survived until today is the mutual agreement of the bride and groom. The author of the book states that "marriage can only take place with the mutual and voluntary consent of both parties."

There were also specific age limits for marriage. Males were not allowed to marry until they were at least 18 years old, and females were required to be at least 16 years old. Additionally, it was forbidden to marry someone who was over 80 years old. According to church law, the maximum age for marriage was 60 years. Those who wanted to marry after 60 needed the permission of a bishop.

Another rule applied specifically to civil servants. Yakov Abramov wrote that it was not allowed for civil servants to marry without their superior's permission, which had to be certified in writing.

All the rules of marriage must be strictly followed, otherwise the "investigation" that takes place before marriage may reveal violations. The "investigation" refers to an entry made in the "marriage book" by a priest or deacon, which is to say, the documents submitted to verify that there are no obstacles to the marriage are checked. If, based on the results of the investigation, a legitimate obstacle to marriage is found or if such an obstacle is indicated to the priest during the wedding ceremony, then the priest should not perform the marriage and the wedding must be stopped and reported to the local bishop.

In the collection, there is a separate section called Family Portrait in Russian History, which includes families from St. Petersburg during the late 19th and early 20th centuries up to the present day. Among the exhibits, readers can find numerous portraits of couples with their children, such as the Khvalovsky family in 1915. There are also pre-war photographs from the 1930s-1940s, as well as modern portraits of multiple generations from the same family. These photographs provide a unique insight into the lives of people in different eras and allow us to see how families have evolved over time.

In the Year of the Family, the Presidential Library released a wall calendar featuring children's drawings. Children aged 6 to 15 were invited to share their vision of family life. The result is a diverse range of interpretations, each reflecting the unique perspective of each young artist.

For example, Darina Menshova from Penza depicted her family as dad, mom, and kids at the ice rink, while Alyona Nikiforova from the Altai Region chose a stork as a symbol of her family. Kamila Kirdasova from Bashkortostan was inspired by her mother's job as a librarian, which she included in her drawing. Kira Bukhareva and Dana Urazgalieva from Saratov focused on books, with Kira depicting a family trip to the library and Dana painting her family reading.

These children's works reflect the joy and light that families bring to our lives, serving as a reminder of their importance as sources of inspiration and happiness.