Valentine’s Day fever grips Rawalpindi

While some embrace the festivities, others voice concerns over cultural boundaries

RAWALPINDI:

Like the rest of the world, youngsters and people from different walks of life in Rawalpindi will celebrate Valentine's Day with their style and enthusiasm today (Wednesday) as preparations for the annual festival have been completed.

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated on February 14 each year with a clear divide of opinions in Pakistan.

All major malls, alleys, markets, intersections and gift shops across the city have been decorated with "red gift items" for Valentine's Day. The shops and stalls have almost turned red with red-coloured gifts and the lights are giving a fascinating look at night.

Every gift shop is crowded with people buying Valentine's Day gifts. Youth, men, women and children are also buying these gifts in large numbers. Fresh flower vendors are also crowded with buyers of red roses and bouquets, while shops and stalls are beautifully decorated with red-coloured gifts.

The security of all parks and recreational places has been tightened and special instructions have been issued to monitor parks and recreational areas from dawn to dusk.

Shopkeepers and traders have prepared both fresh and artificial red flowers in new styles and designs. Apart from flowers, small red pillows, red coloured gift packs, red coloured small birds, animals, bears, monkeys and children's toys have also been displayed for sale.

Young flower vendors were seen selling red roses at intersections and traffic signals on Tuesday.

This year, the prices of Valentine’s Day gifts have also increased enormously due to high inflation. Fresh rose flowers with small sprigs are being sold for Rs100, six-inch artificial red rose flowers and leaves from Rs150 to Rs200, while gift packs of new designs are available from Rs500 to Rs3,000.

Young teachers, professors, youth and scholars have given mixed reactions on the occasion of Valentine's Day.

Nasir Mehmood and Faisal, both youngsters, say that Valentine's Day is misinterpreted as there is no shame if a brother presents flowers to his sister, son to mother and a husband gives flowers to his wife on this day. People of a certain mindset consider it a sin to celebrate Valentine’s Day and Basant and use firecrackers on Shab-e-Barat, but there is no harm in celebrating these small festivals, they add.

Professor Ilyas Qureshi puts weight behind celebrating any festival but within the ambit of Sharia limits. However, he says indecency couldn’t be allowed in the name of Valentine's Day.

Shopkeepers Sharif Qureshi and Nadeem Sheikh are of the view that they sell flowers and gift packs every year on this day and there are record sales in wholesale and retail markets every year. However, the prices of gift items this time are higher than last year owing to inflation.

Allama Izhar Shah Bukhari, the Chairman of the District International Peace Committee for Interfaith Harmony, has suggested halting internet service on Valentine's Day. “Today, the threat is not of terrorism but of vulgarity. Messaging any na-mehram (men who do not have an Islamic legal relationship with the woman) woman isn’t allowed in Sharia, it is a mischievous act,” he said.

Allama Izhar thinks that Valentine's Day is not a religious festival but rather a failed drama of lovers and Jews. True love is a message of peace, he said, adding no one could tolerate any man sending a love message to their female family members. Muslims who value the Prophet (pbuh)'s love should boycott Valentine's Day, he suggested.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 14^th 2024.