Penza, 8 July 2019. PenzaNews. 17 couples who have lived in a legal marriage for more than 40 years, were awarded medals For Love and Fidelity in the Penza region.

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The award ceremony was held on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity at the promenade of the district Sputnik City. For this purpose a special ground was decorated with blue panels showing the symbol of the holiday – the camomile.

Turning to those present, governor Ivan Belozertsev drew attention to the fact that the family is the foundation of society and the existence of a strong state is impossible without it.

"Thank you for overcoming all the difficulties and disagreements, for being together for many years, for raising children and grandchildren in a proper manner, for setting an example of patience and respect for each other to young residents of the Sura land. Everything can happen in life but it is very important to keep the family," he said and awarded spouses from Penza and areas of the region.

Many of the awarded families are large.

During the ceremony, the presenters talked about merits of the spouses. Photos of the couples including those taken in their youth were shown on a big screen.

The celebration continued with performance of creative teams.