10 surprising old love customs in Western countries

As we search for foreign past history, we do not expect surprisingly strange love customs. But surprisingly, we found that there were indeed a large number of weird love customs in Western countries in the past. Here are 10 of them. Which customs do you want to try?

1. Spoon of Love The custom of giving a woman a spoon of love when a man proposes to marry originated in Wales in the 16th century. However, this tradition is not limited to Wales alone; it is popular throughout Europe, especially in Celtic. Sending spoons of love has the same meaning as sending flowers. Usually, spoons of love are made by young people during long voyages or in the dead nights of winter. The spoon of love can be carved with just a piece of wood, and the handle is always decorated.

If the woman accepts the spoon of love, it means that she responds to the man's courtship, and their relationship begins there. This is said to be the source of the word "love talk". If the couple felt they were right for each other and decided to stay together forever, they would hang the spoon of love on a wall in their home, just as they do with their wedding photos on the wall now.

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2. Lover's eye Lover's eye, also known as "eye miniature painting", is a token of love popular among rich children in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Lovers 'Eyes are portraits of the donor's eyes used to give to their lovers. As the name suggests, the eyes of the lover only reveal the eyes of the donor, so recipients can wear them in public without worrying about being recognized as their lover.

These eye miniature paintings range from a few millimeters to a few centimeters. Some are painted on ivory with water, and some are painted on cards with gouache. They are often embedded in rings, pendants, brooches, snuffboxes, and toothpick boxes.

According to legend, the earliest Lover's Eye was carefully designed by the Prince of Wales in the late 18th century, who later became George IV. He was charmed by Maria Fitzherbert. Although she was widowed twice, she was still a Roman Catholic. However, Maria did not respond to the prince's display of love. Therefore, the prince wrote and directed a drama of suicide for love. After that, Maria changed her mind and agreed to his proposal. Despite this, Maria quickly changed her mind, probably because she realized that it would be difficult for the king to agree to their marriage. Especially someone like her, who was twice widowed and was still a Roman Catholic. She quickly left Europe.

However, the Prince of Wales was very insistent. In November 1785, he proposed to her again and embedded a portrait of his eyes in a pendant and sent it to her. The accompanying note read,"P. S: I sent you a package and an eye. If you haven't completely forgotten my voice and smile, I think this portrait will remind you of me." Whether it was the eye miniature or the note that moved Maria's heart, it eventually succeeded because she quickly agreed to the prince's proposal. In December 1785, they secretly married. Soon, eye miniature paintings became popular in upper society. Today, less than 1000 Lovers 'Eyes have been preserved.

3. In the early days of New England, young people's love was very difficult due to strict social rules. Couples are not allowed to meet alone, and men can only meet their sweetheart by visiting the woman's home. In those days, houses were basically small, and all family members sat around the fire in the same assembly room, which caused a lot of inconvenience for couples to whisper. As a result, the courtship stick (also known as the courtship tube) was invented and became popular.

The courtship stick is a hollow tube, 2-2.5 meters (6-8 feet) long and about 2.5 centimeters (1 inch) in diameter, equipped with two microphones and two earphones. Couples must sit at both ends of the fireplace to use courtship sticks to pass sweet words to their loved ones. To hear the man's words, the woman has to put one end of the courtship stick to her ear, and so does the man if he wants to hear the woman's response. This way, even if all family members stay in the same room, they cannot know the secret words between couples.

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4. Dressing gown In medieval Germany, marriage between a man and a woman meant that the two families had to exchange a large number of gifts. The groom submits a "bride price"(a certain amount of money, real estate, or other form of property) to the bride's father, and the bride's father will give the couple something in return. Perhaps the most interesting of all gifts is the gift given by the groom to the bride-the dressing gown, also known as the "morning gift"(by law, the value is usually one-third or one-quarter of the dowry).

Normally, the groom will give the gift to the bride the morning after sharing the same room. Dressing dresses are essentially a reward for a woman's chastity. Of course, a wife can only get dressing dresses if the husband proves the existence of chastity. In the early Middle Ages, cohabitation made marriage real, and dressing gowns were actually the final confirmation.

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5. Valentine's Day acetic acid card Valentine's Day malicious card, also known as the "Valentine's Day acetic acid card", first appeared in the 19th century and was used to express people's inner shame. Completely different from ordinary Valentine's Day cards, the acetate card is crude and cheap, with ironic pictures and four to six lines of limerick to describe or despise the recipient's personality. This kind of card can be used to insult any object, whether it is bald or famous, and it has been tried and tested. The most extreme acetate card will even reveal between the lines the idea of wanting the recipient to commit suicide. Acetate card attacks a variety of targets, including neighbors, enemies, teachers, or suitors you want to refuse.

For example, one card depicts a bald man, and his bald head is surrounded by insects such as flies and moths. Attached below is a limerick: Bald head! No matter what occasion, your oily bald head will attract the attention of others, and your gentle concern for the lonely strand of hair above your head makes you particularly eye-catching in the crowd.

Valentine's Day acetate cards were all the rage from the 1840s to the 1880s, and they were produced at the same company as the sweet lace Valentine's Day cards we use today. It should be pointed out here that before the advent of stamp pasting, mail delivery was charged by the recipient, not the sender. That means that the recipient not only has to receive an insulting letter, but also buys it for the insult.

6. Flirting card Escort card, also known as "flirting card," is similar to business cards and was a funny pick-up method for young Americans in the late 19th century. At that time, it was almost impossible for most women to talk to a man without a guardian present. Therefore, the easiest way for a man to fall in love with a woman he likes is to secretly slip the card into her hand, while the women will hide the card in unexpected ways, such as stuffing it in gloves or hiding it behind a fan.

Some cards are sincere and polite, saying,"Tonight, may I have the honor of sending you home? If you want, keep this card; if you don't, please give it back to me." and so on. Others are more provocative, with the words "I am single now and long for a wonderful time." something like that.

However, it is not just men who use the "acquaintance card" trick. Collectors have also discovered that there are cards that say,"You can take me home tonight" and cards that say,"I am Anna Butch Engel, who are you?" This suggests that women also use these cards as frequently as men to socialize.

7. Binding was a very popular tradition during the American colonial era, binding a couple lying in bed together (even though they were both wearing clothes), separating them with a board in the middle, or putting girls in duffel bags, with parents in the room where the tied couple was in to ensure that no inappropriate behavior occurred between them.

The traditional practice of binding was introduced to the American colonies by early Scots, Welsh, and other European immigrants. In the 18th century, because of high fuel costs and low night temperatures, bundling became not only an opportunity for intimate contact, but also a good way to warm each other. However, some scholars believe that the custom of binding first appeared in the story of Ruth in the Bible. In this story, widow Ruth and wealthy landlord Boaz spent the night together at the threshing floor and married shortly afterwards.

8. Apples expressing love In 1975, writer Benjamin Brody published an article in the Journal of Psychiatry: "Sexual Inspiration in the Axpit." Benjamin described a strange love tradition that exists in remote parts of Austria: At dances, girls place an apple under their arms and use it as a natural deodorant. At the end of the song, the girl walked towards the person she loved and handed over the apple soaked with sweat under her armpit. If the boy liked her too, he would eat the sweaty apple without hesitation and express his stance.

This strange method of expressing one's mind is not only used by women, but also by men. It's just that under normal circumstances, men don't choose apples, but use other things such as hand towels instead. An 1899 article in the American Folk Journal said: "If you want a girl to fall for you, put candy or something she likes under your arms and make it smell like you."

9. Wear your heart on your sleeve (meaning to show your heart) Have you ever wondered when and where the phrase "wear your heart on your sleeve" originated? In fact, there are now three possible explanations. First guess: This sentence comes from ancient Roman festivals in the Middle Ages. Men write down the name of their next year's female companion to give her a legitimate title. Once everyone knows who the lady in a man's heart is, the man will embroider her name on his sleeves, generously confess his feelings, and commemorate this day in this way. This strange love custom emerged after the Roman Emperor Claudius II, who banned young people from marrying because he believed that bachelors were the most suitable soldiers. After abolishing the marriage system, he proposed this strange "temporary couple system".

Second conjecture: This sentence comes from the medieval horse-fighting competition. Knights participating in the competition will identify a lady to watch the competition and present her own wonderful competition. The knight would tie objects belonging to a lady, such as handkerchiefs, around his arms to let everyone know that he was fighting for her.

Third conjecture: This sentence comes from the words of Largo, the villain in Shakespeare's play "Othello", when he confessed his illegal behavior: I would take out my heart and put it on my sleeve and let the jackdaws peck at it. This meant leaving his body completely exposed and inviting the birds to peck at him.

10. Divination of the future husband's past. Women often predict their future husband through superstitious methods. The most commonly used one is to predict divination through birds. This strange divination method can be traced back to the Greek and Roman periods. The first bird seen by an unmarried woman on Valentine's Day suggests the identity of her future husband.

For example: if she sees a canary, she will marry a rich man in the future; if she sees a sparrow, her future husband may not have money, but they will live a happy life; if she sees a robin, her future husband will be a tailor; if she sees a woodpecker, she may not be able to marry.

Another method of divination was popular in England in the 18th century. It was to place five bay leaves sprinkled with rose water on her pillow, one in the middle, and the other four in the four corners. The unmarried woman had to eat the salty protein and pray piously: "My love, let me see you in my dream." Then the woman might see her future husband in her dream. If she is brave enough, she can go to the church tomb to pray on Valentine's Day and run 12 times around the church so that she can also see what her future husband will look like.