5 Interesting Dating Traditions From The Past

5 Interesting Dating Traditions From The Past

 

Everyone has a different experience of dating – but have you ever carved a spoon to show your date that you like them?

There are lots of interesting dating traditions from all across the world, but the dating traditions from the past are seriously fascinating.

Not everyone showed their love by proposing. From sweaty apples to thimbles as engagement rings, some dating traditions will really shock you. Here are 5 of the most interesting dating traditions from the past.

 

1. A Thimble Instead Of A Wedding Ring

Puritans choose to live a life without frivolous extras, so it makes sense that they didn’t approve of engagement or wedding rings. Instead, the bride-to-be would receive a thimble from her fiancé, as it was deemed to be an inexpensive and practical gift.

The woman could use the thimble during the engagement while she was sewing things for her new home. When it was time for the wedding, the bride would cut the top of the thimble off so that she could wear the bottom part as a ring. Practical and thrifty!

 

2. A Hand-Carved Spoon To Show Your Love

When we think of spooning, we envision cuddles in bed with our other half. However, in the 17th century, young Welsh men would use spoons to show their love. The men would carve intricate ‘love spoons’ to give to the woman to show that they liked her. If the woman accepted the spoon, it meant that the two were officially courting. Although the spoons are rarely used nowadays, you can still buy them in Wales!

 

3. Apple Slice For Your Love

This one is a strange one; in 19th Century rural Austria, single young women would keep an apple slice in their armpit during dances. At the end of the night, the woman would give the (possibly sweaty) apple slice to the man of her affections. If he didn’t like her back, he wouldn’t do anything with the apple – but if he liked her back, he would eat the apple. We bet most Austrians are glad that this tradition died out!

 

4. Spray The Girl You Like With Water And Perfume On Dyngus Day

This tradition dates back further than Christianity, but it is still popular in large Polish populations. Together the town celebrate the Polish festival Dyngus Day, which encourages boys and girls to spray each other with water and perfume to show their affections. Boys also used to hit girls that they liked with pussy willows – thankfully this isn’t as popular now!

 

5. Using A Fan To Show Your Feelings

In Victorian times, a true lady wouldn’t speak openly about her romantic feelings. Because of this, the crafty Victorian women came up with codes using their fans so that they could still make their feelings clear. If she wasn’t interested in a man talking to her, she would rub her fan on her left cheek. If she was interested, she would rub it on her right cheek. If she chose to fan slowly, it meant she was already in a relationship!

What is your favorite dating tradition? Let us know with a comment!

(Visited 245 times, 1 visits today)
Amy Johnson
Written by Amy Johnson