February 14 is celebrated by lovebirds all over the world, but Iranian authorities have decreed that references to Valentine’s Day will not be allowed in stores. The ban, however, is being willfully ignored by many.

Authorities have specifically banned the term “Valentine’s Day” from being used by stores that sell flowers, chocolates, stuffed animals or any other gift that lovers might bestow upon each other on February 14. In some of the country's most conservative cities, business owners were even asked not to sell any items that could be given as Valentine’s Day gifts in the days preceding the holiday. Some police departments went so far as to call Valentine’s Day a holiday that “promotes out-of-wedlock relationships” and banned the use of specific phrases, like “I love you”.

Anti-Valentine’s Day measures are not new in Iran: in the past, during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s time as president, hardliners explicitly banned the use of the colour red in store decorations in the days preceding Saint Valentine's and forced cafés to close earlier than usual on February 14.


"The police aren't really looking to enforce the ban strictly"
Shahrouz (not his real name) is a shop manager at a mall in Tehran.

Due to the ban, we haven’t put any signs in our window promoting Valentine’s Day. We even hesitated to use the colour red to decorate the store – in the end, we decided not to use too much of it. Some stores are using the colour pink [which has never been targeted by the authorities], others are going ahead and using red.

Certain stores are subtly mocking the authorities by selling stuffed animals dressed in weddings gowns. Since this references marriage, not Valentine’s Day – at least not directly – the police can’t say anything! These stuffed animals are very popular. In reality, even though the police warned business owners of these measures, they’re not really looking to enforce them strictly and seem to be ignoring small infractions.

In any case, these small risks are worth taking, because Saint Valentine’s Day is a huge opportunity for store owners. As of two days before the holiday [Editor’s note: this interview was conducted February 12], we have already made as much money in a week as we usually do in two months!

Shahrouz
“Young or old, everybody wants to get a Valentine's Day gift!”
Farnaz (not her real name) is a journalist in Tehran.

Practically everyone I know gives a present to the person they love. And when you have millions of Iranians who want to buy presents on Valentine’s Day, it’s really impossible to stop it from happening.

I think this holiday has become really popular in Iran because we have such a young population [Editor’s note: about half of Iran’s population is under 30]. Young people influence our society a lot, and they don’t reject holidays that the authorities consider too Western, like Halloween or even Christmas. However, Valentine’s Day isn’t only for young people: when I went shopping for a gift for my girlfriend, I saw a man in his sixties buying a stuffed bear holding a big red heart. This just goes to show how Iranians think and behave very differently from what the authorities would like.

Post written with FRANCE 24 journalist Ershad Alijani (@ErshadAlijani) and translated by Alexandre Capron (@alexcapron).