Valentine's Day. A day of the crass commercialization of the color pink and puffy heart shaped objects and when it's okay for the girls to indulge in a guilt-free chocolate binge. A bit superficial, stereotypical and mush perhaps, but overall pretty harmless and a great way for marketers to generate a bit of business.

Unless it seems if you're unfortunate enough to be in Bukittinggi, a place which, if I may say so (and I should be allowed to say so because of my Minang heritage) is going to the dogs by the way things are going.

"Valentine's celebrations banned in Bukittinggi" says The Jakarta Post's report. One Ismet Amzis (bless his dirty little mind), Bukittinggi's deputy mayor (how did these people get elected?) said, "The Valentine's Day celebration is not our culture as it usually relates closely to immoral acts where, during the celebration, young couples kiss each other."

This is an immoral act, right? Er, wrong deputy mayor. Or at least, it's news to me that Valentine's Day relates closely to immoral acts.

For a start young couples kiss each other whether it's Valentine's Day or not and there is nothing immoral in it especially when they are in love!

The origin might not be our so-called culture -- or any country's culture for that matter. Valentine's Day actually went all the way back to the time of the Roman Empire when they were pagans.

In ancient Rome, Feb. 14 was a holiday to honor Juno, the Queen of the Roman Gods and Goddesses and the Goddess of women and marriage. The following day, Feb. 15, began the Feast of Lupercalia, when girls and boys drew lotteries to see who they would be partnered with throughout the festival.

St. Valentine himself came in the picture in the early days of Christianity during the reign of Emperor Claudius II known as the cruel who banned engagements and marriages because he wanted men to become soldiers and go on military campaigns.

St. Valentine was a sympathetic priest who secretly married couples, got found out, imprisoned and had his head chopped off and became a martyr. Before he died (so the legend says) he sent a farewell note to the daughter of the prison's guard who kept his spirits up while awaiting the chopping block, thanking her for her friendship and support and signed it "Love from your Valentine".

And the day he was executed was Feb. 14, 270, which since then symbolizes the triumph of love and friendship in the face of those who try to stand in the way, through the sending of love notes and gifts done by children and adults alike.

It looks as if our deputy mayor in Bukittinggi is precisely trying to do that, stand in the way of people showing their affection just because his head is stuck up his own backside and thinks every body else shares his own filthy view of the world.

"Let Bukittinggi be deserted by tourists," Ismet said, "rather than be allowed to serve as a place for immoral acts."

Let the world be rid of the likes of Ismet Amzis, rather than being allowed to poison our young people with his brand of morality.

Pak Ismet beware, I shall seek you out myself and give you a piece of my mind next time I am in Bukittinggi!

The writer is a journalist based in Jakarta. She can be reached on http://quotidian.desianwar.net.

Popular

Kadin urges stability after Constitutional Court ruling

Jokowi says transition to new government to begi

BCA loan disbursement surges 17.1 percent yoy in first quarter