Iranians observe Valentine’s day as S. Arabia, Pakistan ban its celebrations

on February 15, 2022 | 13:50:11

Contrary to some news media reports that Iran had banned Valentine’s Day celebrations, Iranians widely took part in the extremely popular festival worldwide on February 14.

While some neighboring countries such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan had banned Valentine’s Day celebrations, with Saudi Arabia even going so far as to ban the sale of any red products, Iranians were allowed to participate in the gatherings in which boys and girls exchanged Valentine’s gifts.

The annual Feb. 14 honor to romance, which tradition says is named after an early Christian killed priest. It has become popular in recent years in Iran and other Middle East countries.

However, according to BBC, the High Court in Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad, just this week banned public celebrations of Valentine’s Day, saying it is not part of Muslim culture.

The court order banned the media from covering Valentine’s events, and banned festivities in public places and government offices.

Similar ban on Valentine’s Day has been attempted by Saudi Arabia, where a black market for Valentine’s Day goods was developed for eager couples willing to break the law in the name of love, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The bans were also imposed in many Indonesian cities. A rally by junior high school students was held in Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city.

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