Published on: 2026-07-08
Source: Government of the Russian Federation –
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On the Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity, the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration Sergey Kirienko and the Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova launched the III All-Russian Wedding Festival “Russia. Connecting Hearts” at the National Center “Russia.” Participants are awaited by two unforgettable days full of love, unity, and bright events.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent congratulations to the participants of the III All-Russian Wedding Festival on the beginning of a new stage in life and wished them happiness. The head of state also noted that family relationships have a special value for Russians.
“Dear friends, I sincerely congratulate you on a great and significant event – the birth of a new family. I wish you happiness and well-being. Take care of each other. May your dreams certainly come true. For each of us, family is a reliable support and main life value. It is exactly in the parental home, within the family circle, that a person’s personality and worldview are largely formed, cultural traditions are laid down, and such unshakable moral guidelines as caring for loved ones, love for the Motherland, and a sense of involvement in its fate are established. Advice and love!” – emphasized Vladimir Putin.
At the grand opening ceremony, the First Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration, Sergey Kiriyenko, delivered a speech.
“Thank you for deciding to start your family on the day of a national, exclusively Russian holiday – the Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity. More and more weddings in Russia take place precisely on July 8. This shows that our deeply historical, traditional, very warm, and sincere holiday unites more and more people each year. There is a special belief: those who marry on the Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity will surely be happy. And their children will be happy too. I am confident that this tradition will be passed down from generation to generation. Today, the festive atmosphere of love reigns not only at the National Center ‘Russia,’ but also across the entire country – in Primorye, Krasnoyarsk, Khanty-Mansiysk, and many other regions. We wish you happiness, love, and mutual understanding. And, as the President said, may there be more of us. May there be more of you!” – noted Sergey Kiriyenko, First Deputy Chief of the Presidential Administration, Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the National Center ‘Russia.’
Deputy Prime Minister Tatyana Golikova reminded that the Day of Family, Love, and Fidelity is inextricably linked with the memory of the holy pious Peter and Fevronia of Murom. Their story became a symbol of marital devotion, mutual love, and family happiness.
“The III All-Russian Wedding Festival is taking place in the Year of the Unity of the Peoples of Russia. You represent your regions – be proud of your traditions, cherish them and pass them on to future generations. You are congratulated by President Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the National Center sees you and all of Russia honors you. Today, more than 150 families will be created – those born here, at the festival in Moscow. And I hope that many more families will appear today across the country. Russia has always been a stronghold of family and traditional values. Respect for the older generation, love for children – this is our DNA. And by creating your families today, carry these values throughout your life. Of course, there will be quarrels, joys, and sorrows. But this is what family means: being together in happy moments and in difficult times. And the greatest happiness is the birth of children. I sincerely wish you a happy, long life and the creation of a large multi-generational family, which is so important for our country,” emphasized Tatyana Golikova.
The main event of the wedding festival will be the simultaneous registration of marriages for couples in love, including international and foreign couples from Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Armenia. The ceremony will be adorned by the passing of the flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth “Heart of Russia.” Newlyweds will receive from couples married at previous festivals a spark of the flame from Murom, where the holy patrons of marriage, Peter and Fevronia, lived.
New traditions are emerging at the festival. For the first time, the festival anthem was performed, written by the groom from the Tyumen region, Valentin Kucherenko. The author is a veteran of the special military operation, awarded the medal “For Courage,” currently the chairman of the city branch of the Tyumen regional public organization of special military operation veterans “Derzhava,” and a member of the Public Chamber of the Tyumen region of the fifth convocation.
“My muse – my fiancée Alyona – inspired me to create the anthem. She suggested that I try writing an anthem specifically, since I already have some experience. I wrote the song’s lyrics in two days, then returned to it a month later and made edits over the course of a week – professionals gave me recommendations and also helped with recording the anthem itself. While working on the anthem, I aimed to emphasize the importance of the unity of the people, the strength of Russia, the greatness of the Motherland, and pride in it. I also wanted to show that family and the purest feelings – love, loyalty, tenderness – are the most important things in every person’s life,” shared Valentin Kucherenko.
Alongside the festival’s opening ceremony, hosted by the married couple Regina Todorenko and Vlad Topalov, many romantic events for future newlyweds will take place on the first day. Among them are yacht rides on the Moscow River and a festive procession along Exhibition Lane, where the lovers will see eight platform installations dedicated to the cultural diversity of all the federal districts of the country.
As part of the festival, a concert of Russian artists will be held at the National Center. Participants will also receive another gift – an interactive exhibition “Three Houses of the Russian Wedding.” The exposition is dedicated to traditional weddings in peasant, merchant, and noble families.
On the second day of the festival, July 9, a cultural and educational program will take place. It will include lectures, open dialogues, and meetings with famous people.
One of the key events is the musical and choreographic parable “Round Dance. Wedding” – a symbol of unity, strong bonds, and readiness to lend a hand to others. The round dance will unite all festival participants and, through traditional values, which have always been based on the love between a man and a woman, will showcase the diversity of wedding traditions of the peoples of Russia.
Including newlyweds will be able to take part in a floral master class on creating a wreath of fresh daisies. Everyone interested will be able to engage in creativity and get acquainted with the symbolism of the daisy wreath — flowers that embody love, romance, and motherhood. A highlight will be a gastronomic tournament among newlyweds. Six young families participating in the festival will compete in skills of preparing tasty appetizers, main courses, and desserts.
The one-time marriage registration ceremony, the passing of the flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth, as well as a diverse cultural and educational program will also take place in the regional branches of the NC “Russia” in Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk, and Khanty-Mansiysk.
The full festival program is available on the Russia.ru website in the “Poster” section. The National Center “Russia” organizes the festival jointly with the Moscow government and the Moscow registry office management.
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