Valentine’s Day is observed on February 14 each year in the remembrance of Saint Valentine by the Christians. It is the day when couples who are romantically involved express their feelings to each other. They send gifts and cards to each other, or go out on a date.
The color red is particularly prominent in the whole theme as it is considered to be the color of love. The markets get flooded with roses and other flowers, gifts in red color, stuffed toys, greeting cards and many other things that people send to their loved ones.
It is widely celebrated all around the world, though it is the working day in most parts of the world. Valentine’s Day is considered to be the cultural and traditional celebration of Christians, but it is now spreading in different cultures and religions as well.
Since the world has become a global village, so this tradition has traveled in almost all parts of the world including South Asia. In Pakistan, in the early 1990s, people started becoming aware of this celebration and started observing it and now it is celebrated all over the country. But the question is; do our religion and culture allow us to celebrate this day? Should parents in Pakistan allow their children to celebrate it? This debate has been constantly going on for last many years.
It is against Islam
Most of the parents in Pakistan are of the view that it is against Islam. Islam does not allow people from opposite gender to meet and talk about anything openly. Valentine’s Day encourages courtship in youngsters and allows them to express love openly. This attitude then; sometimes goes over social limits towards adultery, which damages beyond repair.
It is against Ideology of Pakistan
Parents and other people from all walks of life who are against Valentine’s Day also think that Pakistan came into being in the name of Islam. It was formed so that people here can observe their religious teachings in their comfort zone without any hesitation. They could better stay away from those who forbid them from Islam and its practices.
It means that they should also avoid the teachings and celebrations of other religions. Although, Pakistan is the place where non-Muslims can observe their practices without any hurdles; but that does not mean that they should start mixing the religious traditions of the Islam and other religions.
Mixing Religious Traditions
Another argument against celebrating Valentine’s Day in Pakistan is that if Muslims are taking up traditions from other cultures and traditions, then why others don’t adopt the same from Islam. For example, the Hindus do not perform the Sunnah of Walima but we celebrate Mehndi in weddings. Likewise, Christians don’t celebrate Eid, while we have started celebrating Valentine’s Day on a massive scale.
Favoring the Valentine’s Day
Those who favor the occasion of Valentine’s Day say that it is the day of love so it should be celebrated with the notions of love and harmony. But this does not satisfy the parents in general. They are against Valentine’s Day not only on the religious grounds but because it causes social imbalance in the society too.
Valentine's Day is approaching and the debate about whether parents should allow their children to celebrate Valentine's Day is picking up heat too. Read more for the arguments parents give against Valentine's Day.
