|
Couples find novel ways to celebrate Valentine's Day
[Arab News] While some retail outlets in the Kingdom have geared up for Valentine's Day only to be warned by the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to remove items that are red, many couples have devised novel ways to celebrate Feb. 14 by exchanging other types of gifts.Instead of exchanging red roses or balloons, couples are now exchanging jewelry, perfumes, chocolates and other gifts, in addition to having dinner in some of the city's most popular restaurants. "I have already bought my wife a gold and diamond bracelet and have reserved seats at a local restaurant to celebrate," said Amjad, a 28-year-old Saudi who recently got married. He added that if celebrating Valentine's Day can bring a couple's relationship closer, then it is well worth it given the high rate of divorce in the Kingdom. Restaurants in Jeddah have been reporting a 90 percent increase in reservations for Monday evening. Many expect a very busy night as couples and families celebrate Valentine's Day. "Our restaurant, Il Siciliano, has been booked for the evening of Feb. 14 over three weeks ago," said Mohammed Al-Madani, executive managing director of Al-Maddahia Group, which owns the restaurant. Other restaurant owners said that although some diners might be celebrating Valentine's Day on Monday night, they cannot refuse to book patrons who wish to come in on that day. Requesting to know why they are dining on that day would be unacceptable, they said. Perfume sales have also increased by at least 20-25 percent, said Orjwan Al-Sewaidi, who operates a wholesale shop for designer perfumes in Jeddah's downtown area. "Many couples, as well as singles, have been coming in to purchase gifts such as perfumes and cosmetics ahead of Valentine's Day," said Mohammed, a salesman at a shop. However, The infamous However... according to a new survey from Yahoo Maktoob Research, although 80 percent of people in the GCC and MENA region surveyed said they are planning to arrange a special day, evening or weekend for their partner on Valentine's Day, only one in three couples in the Arab world admit to celebrating the holiday due to regional, religious or governmental restrictions. "People enjoy rallying around holidays and celebrations, so it's interesting to hear why they choose to go out of their way to make these seasonal occasions special," said Tamara Deprez, head of Yahoo Maktoob Research, adding that traditions and personal beliefs play a huge role in the decision to celebrate or not. Posted by: Fred 2011-02-14 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=316019 |