(love story of Peter and Fevronia)
On July 8, Orthodox Christians celebrate Valentine's Day. In the role of patrons of love and fidelity, the Russian Orthodox Church venerates Saints Peter and Fevronia. Orthodox saints Peter and Fevronia patronize newlyweds and especially young families. The romantic love story of this married couple is described in detail by the greatest author of the 16th century, Ermolai Erasmus, in the ancient Russian "Tale of Peter and Fevronia." According to the "Tale", the couple reigned on Murom at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries, they lived happily and died on the same day.
The legend about Peter and Fevronia tells that Prince Pavel lived in Murom with his wife, to whom a werewolf snake began to fly. The princess learned that the snake was destined to die by hand younger brother Prince - Peter. Peter kills him with a sword, but the dragon’s blood splashed on him causes a serious illness - the prince’s hands and face are covered with ulcers.
Peter ordered to be taken to the Ryazan land, famous for its healers. There, going into one room, he saw a girl - she was sitting at a loom, and a hare was jumping in front of her. Fevronia amazed Prince Peter with her wisdom, solving the most difficult riddles. She agrees to heal the prince on the condition that he takes her as his wife. The exhausted prince agrees to everything. However, having recovered, the prince refuses to fulfill his promise, after which he again becomes covered with ulcers. Fevronia helped him once again and became a princess. Gradually the prince realizes that Fevronia is his only love.
And when the Murom boyars demanded that the prince leave a simple village girl or give up the principality, he, without hesitation, leaves with his beloved wife for a distant village. However, disagreements and strife that arose between the boyars forced them to ask Peter and Fevronia to return home. The power of love between Peter and Fevronia defeated deceit and hatred.
The story of the death of this married couple is amazing: while dying, Prince Peter sends to his wife to tell her that she is ready to die with him. Fevronia, busy with embroidery, sticks a needle into the work, carefully folds it, lies down and dies with her husband... They remained faithful to each other not only to the grave, but also beyond the grave.
Peter and Fevronia died at the same hour. About 300 years after their death, in the 16th century, Peter and Fevronia were considered Russian Orthodox Church to the saints. Orthodox "Valentine's Day" is celebrated not as romantically as Catholics do on February 14, Valentine's Day.
On the day of Saints Peter and Fevronia in Orthodox tradition It is not customary to give any gifts in the shape of hearts or spend evenings by candlelight.
Orthodox Christians pray in cathedrals and churches on this day. In their prayers, young people ask God for great love, and older people ask for family harmony.
Neither the Orthodox nor the Catholic Churches celebrate, in their common opinion, the “vulgar pagan” holiday of “all lovers” into which Western folk tradition has turned February 14th. Gregorian calendar- day of remembrance of the Christian saint of the third century, Bishop Valentine.
“Now we can note on the positive side that the celebration of “Valentine’s Day” (“Valentine’s Day”) in Russia is no longer so bright and large-scale,” said the head of the secretariat for relations between the Church and society of the Moscow Patriarchate, priest Georgy Ryabykh. He explained the emerging trend by the fact that people finally saw that the widespread interpretation and commercialization of this holiday “simply vulgarizes the high idea of love,” “emasculates its sublime essence” and turns love into “another product for market trade.”
“Valentine’s Day,” in the form in which it is imposed on Russians, promotes relationships between men and women, which, according to the priest, “are not love in the true sense.” “Lovers” often mean people, according to Christian canons, who are subject to penance (punishment) for cohabitation outside of marriage, noted Father George. “An irresponsible attitude towards each other is being promoted. People living outside of marriage treat each other irresponsibly, they are not ready to give themselves completely. The Church believes that love should be complete and responsible,” the priest explained.
A critical attitude towards Valentine's Day, he emphasized, does not mean at all that people should not show attention, tenderness, care for each other, and give gifts. On the contrary, “every day should be a holiday of showing love for your neighbors, your family, children, friends,” the representative of the Moscow Patriarchate is convinced.
According to him, in the Orthodox tradition special holidays love and family happiness are considered the days of remembrance of saints who were distinguished in their earthly life by marital fidelity and mutual understanding, for example, Peter and Fevronia of Murom or Royal Passion-Bearers. A good reason to show special attention to a loved one, added Father Georgy Ryabykh, is an angel's day (name day), birthday or christening.
“If you want to arrange celebrations on February 14, then you can direct this energy to preparing for the celebration of the Presentation of the Lord (February 15). On the evening before the Presentation in Orthodox churches Traditionally, solemn services will be held,” the clergyman said.
It is also symbolic that on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, the Russian Orthodox Church has been celebrating the Day of Orthodox Youth for several years in a row, offering prayers for a prosperous family life young Russians.
The Secretary General of the Conference of Catholic Bishops of Russia, priest Igor Kovalevsky, in turn, said that in the Russian Catholic churches On February 14, instead of Valentine's Day, which has pagan roots, the liturgical feast of the patron saints of Europe, Saints Cyril and Methodius, is celebrated. The celebration in honor of St. Valentine on this day is, according to the priest, “optional.”
Valentine, like Cyril and Methodius, is a common saint of both the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, who lived before their separation, namely in the third century. “Very little reliable information has been preserved about his life, but there are a lot of legends,” Kovalevsky noted.
This saint was the bishop of the Italian city of Terni at a time when Christians were persecuted by the Emperor Claudius. One day, Valentine healed the daughter of the dignitary Asterius from blindness, after which the dignitary’s entire family converted to Christianity. This angered the emperor - and on February 14, 269, the bishop was beheaded. In those days, annual celebrations were held in the Roman Empire in honor of the goddess Juno, the patroness of love. Traditionally, on this holiday, lovers gave each other notes with each other's names. Christians adopted this custom by writing the names of saints on postcards. This coincidence was the reason why St. Valentine, executed on February 14, began to be considered the patron saint of lovers. "This folk tradition, and not a church one,” Kovalevsky emphasized.
The legend that Bishop Valentine, contrary to the emperor’s prohibition, married Roman soldiers, a representative Catholic Church called it a "legend".
According to him, there is nothing reprehensible in love and special attention to each other on Valentine's Day, but true love is associated with responsibility - and the Church encourages lovers to think about each other not only on this day. Kovalevsky considers more noble holidays for Catholic lovers religious holiday The Holy Family, when many spouses traditionally renew their vows of love and fidelity to each other, as well as the feast day of St. Joseph, the patron saint of the family, celebrated in March.
What can you congratulate a person in love with? I think with the entry into a period of suffering and painful maturation of the soul. There is nothing more to congratulate for now.
Archpriest Andrey Tkachev
Falling in love does not equal happiness, because it does not always develop into love. And true love needs, at a minimum, reciprocity, so as not to become a punishment.
Falling in love is preceded by a certain inner thirst that makes the heart ache with feeling and the eyes tensely look around.
The first snow is melting, and most loves are doomed to melt, run away through their fingers, tearing hearts in half and accustoming young souls to internal pain. But this pain itself forces young man try to make sense of the world.
And, trying to express themselves, at this time people try to write poetry, naive and clumsy, but sincere. Words are equally lacking for both a happy lover and a person who has been burned by his first feelings. Both of them are bursting from within with experiences for which a dictionary has not yet been compiled.
It's time to start reading other people's prose and poetry, which express universal human experience as accurately as possible. Reading about someone and getting to know yourself, isn't this an unexpected gift? For a Russian-speaking person, it’s time to find “Eugene Onegin” on the bookshelf or borrow it from the library.
Tatyana lives in the wilderness. The light did not spoil her, nothing encroached on her purity. However, the years passed, and the girl matured and grew up for love.
Long-time heartache
Her young breasts were tight;
The soul was waiting... anyone.
This is a genuine, although not entirely pleasant, truth. A person who has grown up for new feelings is not looking for anyone specific. He's looking for someone.
This search for an unknown object is also typical for adults. In the film "Office Romance" the voice of the main character sings:
“But where can I find someone, I’m sad without someone, I can go around the whole world to find someone...”
And outside main character(Mymra) represents a desperate person who is deliberately immersed in his work. What sings in it, under the shell of a commanding image, is a soul that does not want to put up with loneliness. This is true for adults and aging people.
And a young man in a state of disturbed love feeds his soul with works of art of a special kind.
Tatyana in the silence of the forests
One with dangerous book wanders
She searches and finds in her
Your secret heat, your dreams
The fruits of heart fullness...
A Dangerous Book is a romance novel. By modern times that 19th century novel isn't all that dangerous. In Zemfira’s song about “a girl who has matured”, the heroine looks at a “hmm-hmm magazine” in private, which is undoubtedly more dangerous. The guardian angel worries about the person at this time, just as Pushkin worries about his Tatyana.
You will die, dear, but before
You are in blinding hope
Bliss is dark calling
You will know the bliss of life
Do you drink magical poison of desires
You're haunted by dreams
Everywhere you imagine
Happy dating shelters.
In a state of this sweet torment, it may be impossible for a person to remain silent. A person needs to speak out, shout out, cry, otherwise the heart may, if not break, then jump out of the chest. Tanya, as we remember, is trying to talk to the nanny.
"Oh, nanny, nanny, I'm sad
I'm sick, my dear:
I’m ready to cry, I’m ready to cry!..”
- My child, you are unwell...
You’re all burning... - “I’m not sick:
I... you know, nanny... is in love"
The nanny doesn’t listen to the girl, which is no wonder. “Amanti amenti,” the Romans said, which in translation loses the play on words that differ only in one vowel, and means: “lovers are mad.” To adequately understand a lover, you need to be as crazy as him, that is, also in love.
In general, when you open your soul, there is a great risk that they will laugh at you, or misunderstand you, or turn your story into a byword. But you still need to speak out, and Tatyana takes paper and pen.
I foresee difficulties with this point. Modern young people write with terrible errors, like peasant children at the dawn of Soviet power. The thinking of many has become abrupt, as if premature, and is only suitable for SMS messages. A person in love, if he doesn’t find worthy words for his feeling, if he doesn’t sing, or write, or talk about it, I’m afraid he will be forced to moo, scream and use obscene language. Excess feelings will force.
An urgent need is to read good poetry or prose during the period of falling in love. This the surest way get rid of dumbness and start thinking and speaking beautifully. If you don’t like Onegin, read Saadi’s translation or Yesenin’s original. But I love Pushkin and his novel in verse.
Tatiana's letter is in front of me;
I cherish it sacredly
I read with secret longing
And I can’t read enough.
Having dissolved and mingled with the girl’s soul, these lines are capable of imparting to her (the soul) a drop of such high nobility that carnal dirt and everyday trifles will be forced to retreat in shame. At least for a while.
We said at the beginning, there is pain, and torment, and the entry of the soul into a dangerous and unknown region. The soul is “waiting for someone,” the soul “wanders with a dangerous book.” She “calls for dark bliss” and “drinks the magical poison of desires.” From now on, a person will have to be burned more than once, deceived, run away with resentment, carrying bleeding ulcers to his heart. This is inevitable, and if exceptions occur, they are so few that they have almost no effect on the general order of things.
They say we recently got new holiday- Valentine's Day. Something like a feast during the plague. Well, since we talked a little about this phenomenon - falling in love, I take this opportunity and congratulate those who are going to celebrate on the holiday.
IN last years we see how many people turn to the teachings of the Holy Church. Christian churches filled with people on the days of the Lord, the Mother of God holidays, as well as on the days of remembrance of the holy righteous, who pleased God with their life and death for Christ. But there is one holiday when the streets of cities and villages are filled with cheerful crowds of people passing by Christian churches and congratulating each other Valentine's Day, protector and patron of lovers.
Orthodox Valentine's Day
(love story of Peter and Fevronia)
July 6 Orthodox Christians celebrate " Valentine's Day". In the role of patrons of love and fidelity, the Russian Orthodox Church venerates Saints Peter and Fevronia. The Orthodox Saints Peter and Fevronia patronize newlyweds and especially young families. The romantic love story of this married couple is described in detail by the greatest author of the 16th century, Ermolai Erasmus in the ancient Russian "The Tale of Peter and Fevronia." According to the Tale, the couple reigned on Murom at the end of the 12th - beginning of the 13th centuries, they lived happily and died on the same day.
The legend about Peter and Fevronia tells that Prince Pavel lived in Murom with his wife, to whom a werewolf snake began to fly. The princess learned that the snake was destined to die at the hands of the prince's younger brother, Peter. Peter kills him with a sword, but the dragon’s blood splashed on him causes a serious illness - the prince’s hands and face are covered with ulcers.
Peter ordered to be taken to the Ryazan land, famous for its healers. There, going into one room, he saw a girl - she was sitting at a loom, and a hare was jumping in front of her. Fevronia amazed Prince Peter with her wisdom, solving the most difficult riddles. She agrees to heal the prince on the condition that he takes her as his wife. The exhausted prince agrees to everything. However, having recovered, the prince refuses to fulfill his promise, after which he again becomes covered with ulcers. Fevronia helped him once again and became a princess. Gradually the prince realizes that Fevronia is his only love.
And when the Murom boyars demanded that the prince leave a simple village girl or give up the principality, he, without hesitation, leaves with his beloved wife for a distant village. However, disagreements and strife that arose between the boyars forced them to ask Peter and Fevronia to return home. The power of love between Peter and Fevronia defeated deceit and hatred.
The story of the death of this married couple is amazing: while dying, Prince Peter sends to his wife to tell her that she is ready to die with him. Fevronia, busy with embroidery, sticks a needle into the work, carefully folds it, lies down and dies with her husband... They remained faithful to each other not only to the grave, but also beyond the grave.
Peter and Fevronia died at the same hour. About 300 years after their death, in the 16th century, Peter and Fevronia were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church. Orthodox "Valentine's Day" is celebrated not as romantically as Catholics do on February 14, Valentine's Day.
On the day of Saints Peter and Fevronia, in the Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give any gifts in the shape of hearts or spend evenings by candlelight.
Orthodox Christians pray in cathedrals and churches on this day. In their prayers, young people ask God for great love, and older people ask for family harmony.
As February 14 approaches, almost all newspapers and television channels begin to talk about the “holiday of all lovers” - Valentine's Day. What day is this? How should an Orthodox Christian approach this celebration?
If we look in the monthly book, then on this day (both according to the Gregorian and Julian calendars) we will not find the memory of the specified saint. The Orthodox Church honors three saints with this name: St. Martyr Valentine (July 30) and two martyrs (April 24 and July 6, dates are indicated according to the Julian calendar), but none of them is the person with whose name the appearance is associated so-called “Valentines” - special romantic cards in the shape of hearts.
Contrary to popular belief, this holiday is purely secular in nature.
There is a known assumption that this celebration dates back to the Roman holiday of Lupercalia - a festival of eroticism in honor of the goddess of “feverish” love, Juno Februata. Everyone stopped what they were doing, and the fun began, the goal of which was to find your soul mate.
There is also a legend about St. Valentine, which is not supported by historical sources. It tells the story of how Emperor Claudius (circa 269) planned to conquer the world. Claudius II saw the source of all troubles in marriage and therefore banned the wedding ceremony. But Bishop Valentin ignored the tyrant’s ban and performed the weddings in secret. Very soon Valentin was thrown into prison. A few days before the execution, a girl, the daughter of one of the jailers, who was seriously ill, was brought to him. Using his healing gift, Valentin healed her, but he himself could no longer be helped. The execution is scheduled for February 14. The day before the execution, Valentin asked the jailer for paper, pen and ink and quickly wrote a farewell letter to the girl. On February 14, 270, he was executed. And the girl opened a note where Valentin wrote about his love and signed “Your Valentine.”
The unreliability of this story is evident from the fact that the Ancient Church did not know a special wedding rite. The sacrament of marriage was concluded through blessing and a short prayer bishop and the joint participation of the bride and groom in the Eucharist. The independent rite of wedding is of rather late origin and is known no earlier than the 9th century.
Is it possible for Christians to be loved and loving?
Without a doubt. Moreover, only in Christianity is the ability to love raised into direct connection with human nature itself. From Scripture we know that man was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1:27). The Apostle John writes that God is love (1 John 4:8). This means that to love is to realize the image of God in oneself, and to grow in love means to draw closer to God.
In the Russian language, we know only one word “love”, which we use to express a lot of completely different concepts, including love for God, and feeling for a loved one, and friendly love, and “love for the tombs of the fathers”, and attachment to some things, and finally the so-called “love making”. In this respect, our language is much poorer than Greek, in which the original New Testament texts were written.
The Greek language knows love-eros, love-agape, love-philia, etc. The strongest feeling that captures all human nature is “eros”. This word in Greek texts is used in the meaning of God’s love for people, love for God and the feeling of a beloved for his beloved (in Slavic liturgical books it is often translated as “zeal”: “Thou hast pleased me with love, O Christ, and thou hast changed me with Thy Divine zeal...” in the Follow-up to Communion).
Any person who has read more or less seriously New Testament, may note that in it the relationship of God with humanity (the Church) is likened to the relationship of a husband and wife: Christ cares for the Church in the same way as a caring husband for his wife, and the Church responds to him with corresponding devotion. Therefore, genuine human love is always blessed by God and earns worthy respect from the Church.
But the high feeling that unites husband and wife “into one flesh” must be distinguished from pseudo-love. From a Christian point of view, the phrase “making love” sounds bordering on blasphemy. Here we do not mean the abomination of the flesh, which is absent in the true Orthodox tradition.
The physical intimacy of spouses is completely natural and justified as a visible expression of their complete unity, and not just unity of interests or life tasks, but a deeper unity, unity in Christ. Such a union of two people into one flesh logically ends in physical intimacy, but not in “making love.” In the latter case, each “partner” strives to satisfy his lust, to achieve pleasure for himself, and perceives the other person (perhaps unconsciously) as a source of pleasure.
Now almost every child will name the date on which Valentine's Day is celebrated and will be able to retell the story of his life. But how many people know that we have our own holiday, a traditional Orthodox holiday, which is celebrated on July 8? This is the day of Peter and Fevronia.
These saints patronize family and marriage, because amazing story their love is a model of Christian marriage.
The romantic love story of this couple is set out in the Lives of the Saints, and is also beautifully described by the greatest 16th-century author Ermolai Erasmus in the Old Russian Tale of Peter and Fevronia.
The legend tells that Prince Pavel lived in Murom with his wife, to whom a werewolf snake began to fly. The princess learned that the snake was destined to die at the hands of Prince Peter's younger brother. Peter kills the dragon with a sword, but the splashing blood causes a serious illness in his hand and the prince’s face is covered with ulcers.
Peter ordered to be taken to the Ryazan land, famous for its healers. There, going into one room, he saw a girl sitting at a loom, and a hare jumping in front of her. Fevronia amazed Prince Peter with her wisdom, solving the most difficult riddles. She agrees to heal the prince on the condition that he takes her as his wife. The exhausted prince agrees to everything. However, having recovered, the prince refuses to fulfill his promise, after which he again becomes covered with ulcers. Fevronia helped him once again and became a princess.
Gradually the prince realizes that Fevronia is his only love. And when the Murom boyars demanded that the prince leave a simple village girl or give up the principality, he, without hesitation, leaves with his beloved wife for a distant village. However, disagreements and strife that arose between the boyars forced them to ask Peter and Fevronia to return home.
The power of love between Peter and Fevronia defeated deceit and hatred.
The story of the death of this married couple is amazing: dying, Prince Peter sends servants to his wife to tell her that she is ready to die with him. Fevronia, busy with embroidery, sticks a needle into the work, carefully folds it, lies down and dies with her husband. They remained faithful to each other not only to the grave, but also beyond the grave. Peter and Fevronia died at the same hour. About 300 years after their death, in the 16th century, Peter and Fevronia were canonized by the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Orthodox Day of the Patrons of Christian Love and Marriage is celebrated not as romantically as Catholics do on February 14, Valentine's Day. On the day of Saints Peter and Fevronia, in the Orthodox tradition it is not customary to give any gifts in the shape of hearts or spend evenings by candlelight.
Orthodox Christians pray in cathedrals and churches on this day. In their prayers, young people ask God for great love, and older people ask for family harmony.
This is just one of the holidays that has been supplanted by Western culture that has penetrated into our lives. A holy place, as we know, is never empty... If we do not value our traditions, strive to recognize them and revive them, then instead of them others, alien ones will be imposed, veiledly pushing us and our children towards lack of spirituality and devastation.
At first glance, what could be wrong with giving a girl flowers or exchanging gifts with a loved one? There are not many holidays that remind you of the need to show attention and feelings to loved ones. But perhaps, if we know our history and Orthodox culture better, our hearts will be filled with that life-giving warmth and light, and then the need to be attentive and gentle to each other will become a natural need of the soul, its usual state.
The tradition of celebrating “with Valentines” and chocolates on February 14 has become deeply ingrained in consciousness modern man. And yet, the celebration of St. Valentina is not as harmless as it might seem at first glance. Modern world quickly and easily accepts the ideas of marketers and businessmen who are interested in “Valentine” products. Money rules the world and it is profitable for merchants to do business with pink hearts and jester masks.
That is why they spare no expense in promoting holidays and customs that are alien to us.
What a pity that there is so little place for creativity in our lives! How sad it is that a gift for a loved one is limited to the assortment of the nearest kiosk or supermarket counter. But each of us expects a miracle, albeit a small one, in a relationship with a loved one...
Thus, at Orthodox world there is an alternative to the Western holiday Valentine's Day - St. Blessed Remembrance Day. Book Peter and Prince Fevronia. What to celebrate - everyone decides for himself...
