7 Romantic Traditions from around the World ...

1. Love Locks

In Europe, there are multiple places that contain love locks. Couples buy a lock, write their initials on it, and lock it onto a bridge or other structure. This is one of the romantic traditions that are meant to show the world your love. As long as no one figures out the combination, it’s going to be there forever, just like your love.

2. Kissing Bench

In 1912, a senior from Syracuse University left a stone bench behind. It has become a place where couples kiss, because people believe that anyone who kisses on the bench will eventually marry. Couples that wish to stay together and have happy marriages go to the bench in order to give themselves luck for the future.

3. New Year’s Kiss

You’ve probably had your own New Year’s kiss before, but do you know why it’s a tradition? People believe that not being kissed at midnight means that you’ll be lonely for the entire year. If you end up at a Scottish Hogmanay party, then you’re supposed to kiss every single person at the party. It’s a custom that has been around for decades.

4. Love Hut

In a region of Cambodia, parents in the Kreung tribe build love huts for their teenage daughters. Boys go inside of the hut to get to know the girl, make love to her, and spend the night. She keeps talking to different boys until she finds the one that she wants to marry.

5. Visiting Girls

The Dai people of China have this courtship tradition, which involves groups of girls sitting together in the evening. A group of men in red blankets approach them and pick a woman to serenade. If she likes him too, she’ll give him a stool to sit on. He’ll return the favor by wrapping her up in the red blanket.

6. Wedding Rings

In Chile, the woman isn't the only one to wear an engagement ring. They both wear the jewelry on their right hands, and once they're married, they switch it over to their left hands. After all, why should the girl be the only one with a symbol of her commitment? The man should have a way of showing his love, too.

7. Wrapped Rice

During the Sisters’ Meal Festival, the Miao ethnic group in Southwest China cook rice in various colors. Men approach them and serenade them, and they reply by handing them a handkerchief that is rolled up with rice inside. The object that is included alongside the rice tells the man whether the woman is interested or not: two chopsticks means she likes him, one chopstick means she's politely declining him, and garlic means she is flat out rejecting him.

There are hundreds of romantic traditions that take place around the world. Some of them sound a bit silly, but others are worth paying attention to. If one of them sounds like a good idea, you can put it to use yourself. What other romantic traditions have you heard of, and which do you practice yourself?

Sources: livescience.com, listverse.com