February 14 is usually synonymous with red roses and heart-shaped balloons.
But for certain States, Lovers' Day conveys the image of a decadent West.
Among them, Russia is at the forefront.
Several Russian institutions, including the Orthodox Church, are calling for its ban.
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In the context of the conservative turn that has taken place for several years in Russia, Patriarch Kirill declared that Valentine's Day was “
propaganda
” and “
LGBT
ideology
”.
“
The celebration of so-called Valentine's Day, imported from the West, remains propaganda for relationships that have nothing to do with true love
,” said the religious leader close to the Kremlin, reports France Info.
This opinion is shared by those in power.
A Duma deputy asked that the celebration not be discussed in schools and administrations.
Lovers' Day was introduced to Russia after the fall of the Soviet Union, but authorities fought it from the moment it was imported.
The government even created a competing holiday, “
the day of family, love and fidelity
”, on July 8, but it did not take on the same scale as Valentine's Day.
According to
Moskvitch Mag
, 63% of Muscovites will not celebrate Valentine's Day this year and say they do not recognize it.
However, the business aspect seems to be working.
Restaurants in the Russian capital are fully booked on February 14, and are offering special menus for the occasion.
Other prohibitions
Other countries have made similar comments to Russia.
In recent years, Valentine's Day has become popular among young people in many East Asian countries.
But in Cambodia, authorities have warned young people to avoid “
inappropriate activities
” that could make them “
lose their dignity
”.
In this country where women are under great pressure to remain virgins until marriage, the most conservative perceive the lovers' festival as a foreign import threatening traditional Buddhist values.
Stressing that “
this is not a Khmer tradition
,” a directive from the Cambodian Ministry of Education calls on schools to “
take measures to prevent inappropriate activities on Valentine’s Day
.”
In Pakistan, the celebration of the holiday was banned in 2017. A ban confirmed in 2018 by the Islamabad High Court, which considers Valentine's Day to be the "
festival of immorality, nudity and indecency
".
On the street, however, you can see sellers of red heart-shaped balloons.
The situation was similar in Saudi Arabia until 2016. Valentine's Day was considered contrary to Islamic morals of decency, and the religious police punished rose sellers in particular.
But Mohammed Ben Salman, the crown prince, working to give a less strict image to the Islamic kingdom, has allowed the rules to be softened.
In Riyadh, the windows now display many red products associated with promotional offers during this period.
However, there is no explicit mention of Valentine's Day.