By A.J. • 32 Comments
Dating can be an exciting, though sometimes confusing experience. It enables both of you to determine whether you'd make a great long term couple, if you should keep it on a casual level or maybe start exploring romantic avenues in the company of someone else. However, while the U.S. dating scene can be considered increasingly progressive and modern, with equal opportunities for the parties involved to decide their future on their own, in some parts of the world strange and outdated traditions still govern the couples' conduct. Are you still in your sweatpants devouring that entire bucket of Ben & Jerry's ice cream and lamenting about how you just can't catch a break? Then maybe it will make you feel better to learn just how lucky you actually are!
As it turns out, young and educated Singaporeans don't have a penchant for producing babies, at least not at the rate necessary to keep the population within normal levels. This is where the government of the country stepped in – although without a great deal of success – and started offering incentives for what they perceive as desirable young professionals. From romantic moonlit cruises to tea parties and even a tour guide of excellent sex locations, Singapore officials are the most dedicated wingmen you'll ever see!
The unwelcoming environment and limited road infrastructure of Iceland has discouraged migration to this area. The direct result is that the population of the country is relatively small and a lot of the inhabitants are related, which makes dating someone who's actually your cousin a very real risk. You sometimes have no way of knowing whether the person you just left the local pub with for some one-on-one action is related to you. To understand how bad things are, it suffices to say that now they have an app called Cousin Alarm to evaluate your family tree!
This probably won't come as a surprise to any of you, considering that many Middle Eastern countries aren't very progressive when it comes to adopting the Western dating traditions in favor of arranged marriages. Schools are gender separate, curfews are imposed, and even the courtship of the couple whose marriage is arranged by their families comes under very strict scrutiny and supervision.
Japan has been doing a pretty good job so far promoting weird sexual stereotypes and fetishes so unimaginable that only hearing about them would make most westerners faint in a 17th century lady fashion. The guys' fondness for dating inanimate objects like body pillows and electronic toys, coupled with a paralyzing fear of rejection, has unfortunately translated into a loss of interest regarding actual girls.
China, on the other hand, is facing a diametrically opposing problem: there's too much interest in girls and not enough single ones to go around! It would appear that the issue stems from a past preference for male children, which triggered an unbalance in the women demographic. Naturally, Chinese girls are leveraging their scarcity and have become quite selective in their search for the perfect partner.
There are various Indian cults, each with their unique interpretation of the meaning of religious texts, but some have a real hatred for couples who haven't gone through a traditional marriage ceremony. Members of a fanatical Hindu group called Sri Ram Sene were caught attacking women in a pub for mixing with men of other faith and dressing indecently. The same group also threatened to forcibly marry unwed couples found dating on Valentine's Day.
Marriages in India constitute primarily a business arrangement between two families, based on each other's financial possibilities. To ensure that the fortune each family claims is real and legitimate, private investigators are hired to conduct a thorough research before any decision is reached!
Do you know any other strange dating facts? How would you cope with being forced to date under these circumstances?
Sources:
cracked.com
theguardian.com
thehindu.com
gooverseas.com
healthguidance.org
timesofindia.indiatimes.com