RUSSIA EXPO guide got married on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity at the Exposition

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On July 8, the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, a wedding ceremony of the RUSSIA EXPO guide Maria Muravyeva and Pavel Pylaev, an employee of the Moscow Department of Transport, was held at the RUSSIA EXPO. The wedding ceremony took place on the last day of the Exposition and completed the large-scale "marathon" of weddings held here. The partners of the wedding ceremony were the "Istok" project and the Moscow Registry Office.

The couple has been together for four years. In their free time the guys try to travel. The couple have already visited Dagestan, the Russian North, St. Petersburg, Leningrad and Yaroslavl regions, Voronezh, Veliky Novgorod, Smolensk, Kazan and neighboring countries - Belarus and Azerbaijan. Pavel made an official marriage proposal to his beloved on her birthday on March 7, 2024 in Baku - on the fiery rock of Yanardag.

"We thought for a long time where to get married, there were different options, but when we were offered to do it at the main Exposition of the country, of course we were happy to agree, and that's why we are here. Thank you for organizing everything so perfectly, especially on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity," said Pavel. 

Maria, a graduate of the International Journalism Department of MGIMO, helps foreign delegations to understand Russian culture, young Russian citizens - to remember the country's achievements in advanced fields, and all guests - to fall in love with Russia.

"For me, the highlight of the RUSSIA EXPO, without exaggeration, is today. We are standing here, I see my favorite Directorate, and I am grateful to the Exposition for these eight happy months. And perhaps the most important thing for me was to fall in love with our Russia all over again, and every time to tell the guests of the RUSSIA EXPO what a beautiful country we have," said Maria.

At the end of the official wedding ceremony held by the Moscow Registry Office, a surprise was prepared for the newlyweds and wedding guests - together with the artists of the "Istok" project, they were immersed in the atmosphere of traditional Russian wedding rituals. The artists played the moment of meeting and blessing of the newlyweds with taking the loaf from the hands of their parents and its subsequent biting. The rite continued with the traditional first kiss of the newlyweds with "pulling" each other closer by the ears. The performance ended with a "wedding laud", during which the artists performed a special song mentioning the names of the newlyweds to "sing" them to each other - symbolically uniting two separate lives into a friendly and happy family. 

Married couples with experience came to congratulate the newlyweds with the beginning of family life: Evgeny Aleksandrovich and Olesya Nikolaevna Kleshchev have been together for 25 years, and Vladimir Yulianovich and Elena Leonidovna Skobarev just recently celebrated 50 years of marriage. The guests of honor conveyed congratulations and wishes for a long happy life to the newlyweds.

Pavel and Maria, as well as the "golden" and "silver" jubilee couples were traditionally handed over the symbolic flame of the All-Russian Family Hearth "Heart of Russia", lit at the RUSSIA EXPO on January 23, 2024 - the day when the President of Russia launched the Year of Family in Russia. The fire for the "Heart of Russia" came from Murom, one of the most ancient cities of Russia, where Peter and Fevronia, who became a centuries-old symbol of love and fidelity, lived. Today, the fire of the family hearth of the RUSSIA EXPO is kept in every region of Russia.

"You have decided to get married on the Day of Family, Love and Fidelity, now Saints Peter and Fevronia will protect your family. Besides, today is the final day of the Exposition, all this together is very symbolic. We have a belief: everyone who got married at the Exposition will be together forever. I wish you great love, which is the foundation of any family. I wish you mutual understanding and mutual respect, keep and protect each other. And, as my grandmother used to say, peace, harmony and prosperity to you," said Anastasia Zvyagina, Deputy Director General of the RUSSIA EXPO.

Together with the warmth of the All-Russian Family Hearth, Pavel and Maria received gifts from the Exposition Directorate and its partners - they will now be able to relax in hotels in the Leningrad and Rostov regions, as well as in Saint Petersburg.

The congratulations and gifts for the newlyweds did not end there. The Kamchatka Exhibition and Tourist Centre presented the couple with a certificate for a hotel stay and excursions in Kamchatka. This gift especially delighted the newlyweds, as they had long dreamed of admiring the beauty of this region together.

From the travel operator RZD Tour, the couple received a gift certificate for a railway tour of the Golden Ring of Russia. Regions of Russia also gave Pavel and Maria commemorative gifts, presenting them with a symbolic "Basket of Russia" filled with the best offerings from different parts of the country. The Stavropol region took a creative approach to their congratulations, gifting a specially made sand painting based on a photo of the couple.

Today, July 8, the RUSSIA EXPO concludes its work. Since November, it has been visited by more than 18.5 million people.

The International RUSSIA EXPO showcased the country's major achievements on a single platform. Throughout the Exposition, guests enjoyed cultural events, as well as a rich business and educational program. Expositions from 89 regions of Russia, leading federal agencies, corporations and public organizations were presented to visitors.

On July 1, President Vladimir Putin signed an order to establish the Russia National Centre to preserve the Exposition’s legacy and demonstrate the country's achievements.