Where I Live Valentine’s Day is Illegal
Kiss and Go to Jail
I never got over one Valentine’s Day when I received about 20 unmarked I love You cards in the mail. I was in my mid 20s. Still single. Never married. The last time I had received a Valentine was in Jr. High School. On that special day, you stuffed a Valentine card into the school locker of that special someone you had a crush on.
A couple of versions of the history of Valentine’s Day.
It is believed that Valentine’s Day has its origin in ancient Rome, when the feast of Lupercalia was celebrated from 13 February to 15 February. … Emperor Claudius II was against the marriage of single men and ordered that Saint Valentine should be beheaded. The execution happened on 14 February. — Google
Its true origin is still very vague. According to the legend, the day is celebrated to mark the death anniversary of Saint Valentine who died in mid-February in 270 AD. It is said that Saint Valentine was a priest, who defied emperors’ orders and secretly married couples to spare husbands from war. — Google
As you can read there is little resemblance to the history of Valentine’s Day and what we commonly recognize today.
Young people for the most part let that special someone know they are romantically into them. Adults? It depends. In a tradition like Halloween, the grown-ups give out the candy not collect it. But, it does give an opportunity to shoot any lost Cupid arrows!
I live in Indonesia and Valentine’s Day is against the law. At least 10 cities across the world’s biggest Muslim-majority nation (not in Bali) issued full or partial bans on Valentine’s Day celebrations.
Islamic clerics and some pious Muslims use the occasion to criticize what they see as Western decadence.
But many Indonesians practise a moderate form of Islam and celebrate Valentine’s Day with cards, chocolates and flowers for their loved ones. — The Straight Times
Fortunately, few young Indonesians agree with this extremist policy. Going underground they kiss in secret.
I was married twice. I had no plans on a third marriage. Let alone a marriage with a woman where we couldn’t speak each other’s language. Our traditions and cultural background couldn’t be more diverse. I am American and she is Indonesian. We met on the island of love, Bali.
The Valentine’s Day story below is a chapter from my book on Illumination Books called “Bali: Life on the Ring of Fire.”
Happy Valentine’s Day
To purchase a .PDF download of the book USD 4.95
