Russians Celebrate Day of Family, Love and Fidelity

Russia on Wednesday celebrates the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, a festival aimed at promoting traditional values amongst couples and families alike.



The holiday — which is not an official day off work — was introduced in 2008 as part of celebrations for the country's “Year of the Family,” aimed at improving the country's troubling demographic situation.



Celebrated on July 8, the holiday also falls on the Russian Orthodox saints' day of Pyotr and Fevronia, who are seen as ideal examples of happy married life.



Pyotr, a nobleman, married Fevronia, a peasant girl, in the 12th century. The couple died on the same day and were buried separately, but their bodies are said to have miraculously reappeared in one coffin.