Babies dressed as cupids, underwater weddings and a government vitamin giveaway to encourage procreation were all part of Thailand’s imaginative and bizarre events to mark Valentine’s Day yesterday.
The Land of Smiles embraces Feb. 14 like few other nations in Southeast Asia, with Bangkok awash with pop-up flower stalls and a roster of romantic gestures unfurling across the nation.
The government led the love-in, doling out heart-shaped boxes of free iron and folic acid supplements in a bid to help healthy pregnancies and stimulate the kingdom’s birthrate.
Photo: EPA
“In 1970, a family had an average of six children, but now it’s 1.6,” Thai Department of Health Director-General Wachira Pengjuntr said. “In the past people ate better food, more vegetables and fruit, but now lifestyles have changed ... so we want to encourage more births.”
In the southern tourist hotspot of Trang, couples were offered the opportunity to marry underwater — in full wedding dress and diving gear — in an annual publicity stunt aimed at boosting visitor numbers.
Meanwhile, newborn babies at one maternity ward in Bangkok were dressed up with wings to resemble the god of love.
Photo: EPA
Even Thailand’s fractious political arena, a stage more accustomed to the delivery of brickbats than bouquets, could not escape Cupid’s arrow.
In a widely trailed “Day of Love,” the junta opened reconciliation talks with some political players in an effort to bridge a decade of conflict that has seen two democratic governments upended by military coups.
Normally stern Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was also in an affectionate mood following a poll saying just over half the nation wanted to give him flowers for Valentine’s Day.
“I have love for everyone — all 70 million Thais every day — not only on Valentine’s Day. I have roses for you everyday. Thank you,” Prayuth told reporters.
Thai polling data is often criticized as politically slanted.
Still the junta’s unbridled passion for Valentine’s Day was a contrast to more po-faced approaches in previous years — in 2015 the generals urged young people to have a special meal or visit temples instead of having sex.
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