SYDNEY, Feb 14: Australians seeking love on Valentine’s Day speed-dated in deckchairs on Bondi Beach, while Japanese trekked through snow in search of romance and Filipinos sang syrupy ballards.

Contrary to its racy reputation, Thailand told police and “student inspectors” to stake out motels, malls and parks to ensure youngsters behaved themselves on the “Day of Love”, when polls say many teenagers have sex for the first time.

In the northern city of Chiang Mai, youngsters flocked to give blood in a “I’d rather lose blood than virginity” campaign.

More than 2,000 people signed up for 16 simultaneous speed dating events in eight Australian cities on Thursday, with the proceeds going to charity.

Australian newspapers ran pages of Valentine’s Day love messages to people with nicknames like “Boo Bubby”, “Pookey”, “The Phantom” and “Wicked Wench”. “I love 2 Things”, wrote a romantic Johnny, adding “cars & u”.Mobile telephone networks were preparing for an onslaught of love over the airwaves. Top phone company Telstra expected picture messages to be up 60 per cent and video calls 50 per cent higher than normal.

Valentine’s Day in the Philippines was celebrated traditionally, with a riot of red and pink roses, heart-shaped cards and syrupy love ballads.

But Manila’s Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales warned against “exclusive moments” between unmarried couples.

SAY A PRAYER: Although a largely Roman Catholic country, where marriage is heavily emphasised, extramarital affairs are often accepted in the Philippines and teenage pregnancy is not uncommon.

The cardinal said religious pastimes such as attending Mass or saying the rosary were a good way of celebrating special days, such as Valentines. “It’s best to look for honest-to-goodness entertainment,” he said.

A day before Valentine’s Day, more than 500 Japanese women sailed across the Ashino-ko lake at the foot of Mount Fuji, then trekked through a snow-covered forest to pray for love at the small red Kuzuryu shrine, a famous divine match-making site.

The more than 1,000-year-old shrine, whose name means “nine-headed dragon”, started to attract singles after some pilgrims reported that their prayers for romance had been heard.

South Korea put a typically modern spin on the traditional festival, with a mobile phone operator promoting a “Love Detector” service that is supposed to analyse voice patterns to see if a lover is speaking honestly and with affection.

Valentine’s Day, with roots in both an early Christian martyr and an ancient Roman fertility festival, was first linked to romance by Chaucer in a 1381 poem, according to some references. The exchange of cards was popularised in England not long after.—Reuters