"Hail, hail," they chanted, dubbing Aguilera and an Indian film star, dead for 36 years, as this year's goddesses of the Virgin Tree.

"We are just praying for a Valentine," admitted Prakash Chandra, 21, a Hindi honors student, who wasn't very hopeful that his prayers would be answered. "For the past three years, we have been praying."

This puja, or prayer, at Hindu College was just one of the more desperate examples of how Indians have embraced Valentine's Day.

The holiday has turned into a month-long event throughout much of Asia, from Bangladesh to Japan. But in India, many educated young people have taken Valentine's Day to a new level, one that rivals Bollywood movies with its interpretation of romance and love. Many here swoon over Feb. 14 as their own supersized love extravaganza, with cards the size of movie posters, stuffed hearts the size of 5-year-olds and heart balloons as far as the eye can see.

A card company here has announced new holidays: Feb. 11 is "Make a New Friend Day," Feb. 12 is "Chocolate Day" and Feb. 13 is "Dream of Your Sweetheart Day."

A cell phone company allowed people to send free text messages on mobile phones. The Hindustan Times newspaper devoted its entire City section to Valentine's Day, which it referred to as "the day of mush."

Couples walked through shopping centers, holding hands, roses and chocolate bars they won at a Valentine's promotion. Every restaurant was decorated with hearts and proclamations of "I Love You." A doorman at a pizza restaurant was dressed as Cupid, complete with wings and a tinsel halo.

This is different from 10 years ago, when young couples in India would rarely walk together, let alone hold hands in public.

This year, even the protests by Hindu fundamentalists were half-hearted. Less than 50 burned Valentine's Day cards and posters in New Delhi, while warning that the holiday imposed Western values on Indian youth. Unlike past years, there was no violence. No one threw rocks through the windows of card shops or harassed hand-holding couples.

At Hindu College on Monday, the young men gathered for their Valentine's Day ritual, shrouded in mystery. At first, no one wanted to talk about praying to Aguilera. No one was certain how long the men in the campus hostel have been performing the Valentine's Day puja--maybe six years, maybe 15.

"Please, let it all remain a mystery," said Utkarsh Mishva, 21, the hostel president.

No one knew how the Virgin Tree became the Virgin Tree, although now it is a college meeting place, called simply "VT," between the auditorium and the library. There were only vague suggestions as to why the goddess of the tree was called "Damdami Mai." Several confided that this was a character in an Indian soap opera years back, a woman sexy and naughty. Some said Damdami Mai was the goddess of beauty, or maybe the goddess of love, or more likely the goddess of lust.

Every year, the men pick a female celebrity who is beautiful but controversial to represent the goddess. Last year, the celebrity was Janet Jackson, selected shortly after her "wardrobe malfunction" at the Super Bowl. The tree was decorated with inflated condoms. The men prayed to a poster of her.

"It's funny," Mishva said. "It's something different."

This year, the prayer was tamer than in the past, largely because of media attention. The men said they picked Aguilera for her outrageousness and Madhubala, a chaste Indian film star who died in 1969, simply for her beauty.

On Monday morning, the men from the hostel--those without girlfriends--led the prayer. A college student dressed as a Hindu priest lighted incense sticks. Drummers banged drums. Everyone ate sweets beneath the tree, decked out in tinsel and "Happy Birthday" balloons. Neeraj Tripathi, 20, one of the organizers, described the Aguilera poster as "a bit exposed, but not very vulgar."

Many students from Hindu College stood and watched.

"I do it every year," said Simran Chaudhary, 19, a student, sitting beneath the Virgin Tree. "It doesn't work. Trust me."

The female students said they found the spectacle funny. But their reactions suggested the boys would find little sympathy or improved chances because of their Valentine's Day prayers.

"It's a stupid joke," said Anisha Kapur, 19. "It's mocking, making fun of all the girls."