As the world gets ready to celebrate its annual day of love, Valentine’s Day on February 14, not everyone is in a celebratory mood.
In Indonesia, Valentine’s Day has always caused controversy, with some choosing to ignore the essentially Western tradition and others openly calling for a boycott of the festivities.
Valentine’s Day, which is also known as Saint Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, has its roots in the Christian feast day in honor of the martyr Valentine – although there have been various Valentines throughout history, including Valentine of Rome, a priest martyred in 269, and Valentine of Terni, a Roman bishop martyred in 273.
In the 8th century, the Feast of Saint Valentine was celebrated on February 14 and, in the 14th and 15th centuries, it began to take on its modern day overtones as a moment to celebrate romantic love. By the 18th century, the traditions of giving gifts, sweet treats, and cards began to be celebrated in the United Kingdom.
Given its origins, it is understandable that the celebration fails to resonate in many parts of the world where martyred priests and Cupid, the god of love and desire said to be the son of Venus and Mars in Roman mythology, have no significant historic ties.
Yet the aversion to Valentine’s Day goes deeper in countries such as Indonesia, where annual disagreements occur over the purpose and motivations of the day.
In 2020, in the city of Bekasi in West Java, the local education authority prohibited the celebration “in and around school areas” as did the Bangka Belitung Islands, which stated that it could “destroy the morale and character of students.”
The sentiment has also been echoed by the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), Indonesia’s largest Muslim clerical body responsible for issuing pronouncements on Islamic law, which releases statements every year ahead of the holiday warning Muslims not to partake.
Back in 2018, the then-head of the MUI, Ma’ruf Amin, said Valentine’s Day should be banned in Indonesia as it was “worth nothing” and would “cause a fuss and destroy norms and morality.”
He added however that it would be up to each region of Indonesia to assess whether to ban Valentine’s Day completely as “each region has a different level of vulnerability.”
With that in mind, Aceh Besar Regency in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh Province on the island of Sumatra has instituted an outright ban on Valentine’s Day celebrations of any kind in the regency.
“The ban on Valentine’s Day celebrations applies not only to recreational places, hotels, or similar venues but also to all public facilities in Aceh Besar and will be monitored by an integrated team from the District Government,” Acting Regent Muhammad Iswanto said ahead of the celebration last year.
Yet despite the public discourse from various factions against Valentine’s Day, many shops, restaurants and malls across Indonesia continue to be festooned with red and pink decorations, and bakeries and cafes sell seasonal heart-shaped doughnuts, cookies, and themed drinks.
Part of the issue with Valentine’s Day, in addition to its European and Christian origins, is the supposed leap from celebrating affection, through the offering of gifts, chocolates, and cards, to expressing love physically.
To guard against this, officials in Indonesia raided minimarkets in 2017 in cities including Makassar in Sulawesi and confiscated condoms to ensure that no one had sex out of wedlock as a result of Valentine’s Day.
“These raids were done after we received reports from residents that the minimarts were selling condoms in an unregulated way, especially on Valentine’s Day,” a Makassar police official said at the time.
It is also not just Indonesia that has an issue with Valentine’s Day.
Other countries around the world either do not celebrate it as it is not a part of their cultural norm, or dislike the holiday for similar reasons of perceived moral degradation.
In Pakistan, Islamabad has similarly prohibited the celebration, as has Iran. Saudi Arabia historically banned the sales of Valentine’s Day paraphernalia such as red hearts and balloons, although in recent years this has been relaxed.
Meanwhile in Malaysia, annual campaigns to stop Valentine’s Day in its tracks have gained traction, with the country’s Department of Islamic Development launching a campaign named “Mind the Valentine’s Day Trap” which it said encouraged “vice activities.”
Yet ironically, while Indonesia does not appear to love Valentine’s Day, that did not stop the country from holding its presidential election on February 14 last year. As a result, some polling booths were festooned with pink and red balloons and voters were served heart shaped chocolates and candy.
This year, no such election or other national event will take place, meaning that discourse around Valentine’s Day may potentially be in the spotlight again.
Will there be raids across the country as in previous years or will Indonesia embrace a more loving feeling?