Penza, 7 July 2017. PenzaNews. Couples, who have been married for several decades, were awarded during the celebration of the All-Russian Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness, held in the Penza Regional Philharmonic Hall on Friday, July 7.

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Spouses from different areas of the region gathered for the ceremony. In the lobby of the cultural institution, the guests were given wreaths made of natural field flowers.

The event was attended by the governor Ivan Belozertsev.

Addressing to the people gathered, the head of the region noted that spouses who support, love, understand each other and strive to keep the family have every chance to bring up worthy people.

He specified that in the five months of 2017 the number of marriages increased in the Penza region.

Also, Ivan Belozertsev admitted that he does not approve of cohabitation without official registration, although it is a norm for many people.

“I married my wife in 1979. It’s been (almost) 39 years and I don’t regret it,” he said.

The governor promised that if he is invited to celebrate the All-Russian Day of Family, Love and Faithfulness in the year of his 40th anniversary of marriage, he will come with his whole family.

In the course of the event, Ivan Belozertsev awarded the couples, who had been married for over 40 years, with certificates of merit, medals “For Love and Faithfulness,” and white roses. Families created over 33 years ago were also mentioned.

Among the guests of the event there were Igor and Lyubov Shirokovy, who got married as long as 50 years ago – 7 July 1967. The ensemble “Miryane” held a wedding ritual for them and described ancient customs.

During the event, the chairman of the regional Legislative Assembly of the Penza region Valery Lidin congratulated the people gathered, he called their families bright and worthy representatives of society.

He handed the awards to spouses who had been married for over 25 years.