Image from Victorian Quilt Designs (http://www.victorianaquiltdesigns.com/)The following is an entry I intended to post last year but for some reason missed it and found it in my drafts just now. With the day looming very close now I just wondered how it would be this year out and about shopping on Valentine's Day. I will post again soon with an update.
February 14th (2009)
Ok then... now here's a thing, Valentines Day is banned in Saudi... you cannot buy a card or anything to do with Valentines Day here and if you find something and the matowa catch you, you are in trouble.
A few days before the matawa were in full force in the Dharan Mall checking that there were no cards or goods or anything 'red' being sold in the stores and if there were they were confiscated and destroyed with possible arrest for the shop owner. If someone was unlucky enough to be caught with any fresh or fake flowers, albeit just for decoration, they were seized and stamped on to destroy them.
On one of the compounds even, one of the teachers had been given a birthday card and gift in a red bag. Some compounds even have matowa on them and they were in force to check that no gift relating to Valentine's Day were being given. The teacher was shouted at by a matowa and had her present and card taken off her and he shouted that she had been given them by a man.
You may laugh but unless you can prove that you are married to the man you are with you could be accused of adultery or you have to have written permission from your husband to be with this person. So an unmarried women is most certainly not allowed to be receiving gifts, and certainly not of this nature. The present and card were actually for her birthday and given by another woman.
Well that was one of the things that I wanted to get down before I forgot as it is almost a norm for me now that I almost don't even think it strange anymore and I forget that it will be interesting for you to read, and for me to read again in 3 years time when I return to the 'free world' ... well 'free' it may seem but any better I'm not too sure but at least I won't have a problem buying a Valentine Card !
Afterthought: I've not bought a valentine card for years, come to think of it I've even forgotten our anniversary on a couple of occasions... but I will buy one just for the fact that 'I can' .... in 3 years time that is.
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3 comments:
This is a fascinating post; I had no idea that you wouldn't be able to buy things like that in your country. It's always interesting to learn of cultural differences. It certainly is very different here in the States, almost too much with the overload of valentine ads and stuff everywhere you look.
Thanks pendie for your comment. I went to your blog but found I was unable to leave a comment...a gliche which will be sorted soon. I love all your socks so much that I'll be getting my sticks back out very soon :0)
Wow, for a minute I thought you had made that Valentines quilt!! ;-)
Thanks for your comment on my blog, nice to know there are a few of us soft-hearted animal lovers out there! At least with the pet passport scheme we can actually take animals back to the UK!
I shall keep an eye out for piccys of your pussy cats! :-)
By the way my husband was born in Bahrain and his dad only recently left. I have stood on the bridge and looked at Saudi in the distance, but never visited.
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