A traditional symbol of Valentine's Day, red roses, has been banned by Saudi Arabia's muttawah until Feb. 14. Also included in the prohibition is the sale of other red items such as gift wrappers.

Shop owners were advised by the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice to take off from their shelves the red flowers and similar reminders of Valentine's Day, which is considered un-Islamic and allegedly leads to relations outside of marriage.

The prohibition led to a spike in the price of red roses on the underground market. Florists delivered the flowers instead in the middle of the night than daytime.

The ban has been imposed yearly, so couples anticipate the prohibition and order red roses ahead of the one-week ban, send online love greetings and fly out to more liberal Middle Eastern countries like Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to celebrate Feb. 14. The committee said there are only two holidays in the country, Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha. Other holidays outside of the two are not allowed to be celebrated.