Love Around The World

Witten by Lucie

Love is a universal language. Most people walking this Earth fall in love at some point in their life, whether it is with someone they've known since they were born or a total stranger who lives thousands of miles away. But how do people around the world show affection? Is it just by performing acts of intimacy or endowing their loved ones?

Illustration: wmich.edu

It is important to mention that expressions of love vary among individuals and depend on many factors, including cultural manners and family customs. However, some nations have come up with quite interesting ways to let others know how they feel and have given love a completely new shape. It is no longer just about buying gifts in the form of cute teddy bears and chocolate (although that's nice as well!). Instead, these endearments often require creativity and (literal) strength. Although some of them seem to be for heterosexual couples only, that is no longer the case nowadays.

Love letters in South Africa

There is no better place to start than in South Africa! In an attempt to express love or show interest, female members of the Zulu tribe give their male companions ucus - love letters made from colorful beads. These colors represent diverse feelings and characteristics, for example, red for intense love, yellow for wealth and blue for faithfulness. Depending on how the beads are situated, the love letters can have different meanings.

Photo: africangrace.co.za

Boxed lunches in Japan

The Japanese are known to prefer actions over verbal communication, especially when it comes to taking care of their loved ones, where they can get very creative. Women take pride in creating and decorating elaborate packed lunches (also called bentos) for their men on workdays. The more decorated the bento, the more colleagues get jealous. Being quite a competitive nation, this is the perfect way to show off as a couple.

Photo: loveatfirstbento.com

Wife-carrying championships in Finland

Have you ever seen anything more romantic than wives or husbands being slung over their partners' shoulders? And did you know this activity has its own championship? Every July, people from around the globe fly to Finland to witness this untraditional sports event. And why? Well… Finns have taken wife-carrying to a whole new level, making the pairs overcome a series of challenges. But why do people take part in this in the first place? The answer is simple - except for being the macho of the tournament, the winners are gifted their partner's body weight in beer! 

Photo: Markku, Ojala. EPA

Pig presents in Germany

If anything from the above wasn't bizarre enough, this surely is. It is no surprise that Germans love pork, whether on a plate or running down their backyard. However, pigs also serve as symbols of good luck and lust for their partner. Especially on Valentine's Day, when a guy wants to win a somebody's heart, he brings them a swine-themed gift, preferably a little statue or an image of a pig along with some sweets. While some of us might find this romantic gesture odd, it seems to work for Germans!

Photo: moonbacks.com

Although love can be shown in countless ways, the purpose of all these attempts remains the same. In the end, it doesn't matter if you decide to gift your dear with a rose, an elephant tooth or just perform an act of kindness towards them. The effort is worth more than a thousand words.

SOURCES

Wanderlust. “8 bizarre ways of expressing love around the world.”

https://www.wanderlust.co.uk/content/bizarre-ways-of-expressing-love-around-the-world/ 

Magenta. “Love around the world.”

https://www.magentaresearch.co.uk/blog-pages/love