Senate Speaker against celebration of Valentine's Day in Kazakhstan

ASTANA. KAZINFORM - Chairman of the Senate of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has spoken against celebration of Valentine's Day in Kazakhstan, Kazinform has learnt.

On the 14th of February, the Senate Speaker tweeted that the youth of Kazakhstan must realize that Valentine's Day is a holiday that has been appropriated from the west and "it is against mentality and traditions of our people".

Of note, Pakistan is the latest country to ban public celebration of Valentine's Day on the grounds that it is not part of Muslim culture. Malaysia, Indonesia and Saudi Arabia are also among the countries that banned observance of the holiday.

"Әулие Валентин Күні" Батыстан келген, еліміздің болмысына және салт-дәстүріне мүлдем қарсы болып тұрған ұғым. Жастарымыз оны түсіну керек.

— Kassym-JomartTokayev (@TokayevKZ) 14 февраля 2017 г.