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It’s a little hard to be surprised at anything Saudi Arabia does. What would be a “Huh?” moment in the rest of the world is just another day at work in this deeply secretive country. Even so, this takes the cake.
The BBC is reporting that religious police in Saudi Arabia are preparing to enforce a ban on Valentine’s Day celebrations by warning shops to remove all signs of red, including decorations, heart shaped bouquets, wrapping paper and, of course, roses.
The Kingdom expressly forbids celebration of what it terms festivals that are “unIslamic,” and that goes for Valentine’s Day too.
The ban has always existed, but that doesn’t stop die hard romantics from ordering bouquets to be delivered to their villas in the middle of the night. There is a booming black market for red roses in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day when the ban comes into effect, and many underground flower shops do brisk business selling roses clandestinely.
The “No Red” Valentine’s Day ban is enforced by something called the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (in case anybody was still unclear about the motives), and the days leading up to V-Day see cops making the rounds of florist shops, removing all traces of red. The ban on red was enforced on Sunday, and will continue through Friday.
Lovelorn Saudis have a ray of hope, though. V-day this year falls during mid-term break, so many of the locals are out of the country, and can celebrate without fear.