Name: Weird Dating Rituals From The Past So You Can Feel Better About Swiping Tinder
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Weird Dating Rituals From The Past So You Can Feel Better About Swiping Tinder

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Dating can seem really complicated and confusing with a bunch of weird rules involved: How long should I wait before texting back? When is it okay to slide into the DMs? How many dates should we go on before I ask where the other person sees things going?However, while our dating lives may be complex and occasionally frustrating, some historical dating rituals were straight-up bizarre.In Slavic Europe, but mostly Poland, Śmigus-dyngus is a holiday during which boys throw water over unmarried girls and spank them with pussy willow branches on Easter Monday. Boys will often walk door to door to visit girls.Photo Credit: Twitter / @PolandPhoto Credit: Twitter / @PolandHowever, attractive women are targeted the most during this day and tend to get soaked the most.ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn the 1800s, young Finnish women who were close to marrying age would wear a sheath on their belt. If a young man was interested in her, he would place a knife inside her sheath.Photo Credit: DeAgostini / Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: DeAgostini / Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIf she returned the knife to him, she wasn't interested, but if she kept it, it meant she was down to marry him.ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn the 1600s, Puritans used thimbles as the romantic gift of choice. Puritan men gave their brides-to-be a thimble instead of a ring upon engagement. It was a very practical gift, considering that sewing was one of the main activities women performed.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Marka / Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Marka / Universal Images Group via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTAfter the wedding, the top of the thimble was cut off and the bottom rim was used as a ring.ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn rural parts of Bhutan, there is a ritual called Bomena ("night hunting") during which men break into the homes of young women to express their interest. They try to convince the young women to sleep with them.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: In Pictures Ltd. / Corbis via Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: In Pictures Ltd. / Corbis via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTEverything is consensual, but escaping from a night hunt is not easy—Bhutanese families generally sleep in common rooms, and parents can easily be awakened!ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENT"Bundling" was a practice in northern Europe and America, where a young unmarried couple was able to share a bed, but they had a wall between them to avoid letting any activities go down in the sheets. ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: apartmenttherapyPhoto Credit: apartmenttherapyADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTThe practice originated in the Netherlands and allowed couples to get to know each other and grow more comfortable with each other prior to the wedding day.ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTEvery May in Tenganan, Bali, eligible bachelors go to a local arena and fight each other using bamboo shields and the thorny leaves of a pandanus plant. They engage in combat for hours for the sole purpose of impressing the local single ladies.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Keyza Widiatmika / NurPhoto via Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Keyza Widiatmika / NurPhoto via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTWhile the men fight, the women take turns riding a foot-powered Ferris wheel so they can get a good look at the action.ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTWhile brides in the Western world exercise vigorously and might even diet in anticipation of their wedding day to ensure they fit into their dress, Mauritanian women do the opposite. In areas of western Africa, holding a little extra weight is the standard of beauty because it symbolizes wealth and success.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Wordpress / Biana ChaddaPhoto Credit: Wordpress / Biana ChaddaADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTSome brides-to-be will go to a "fat farm" where they're fed heavy meals to pack on a few pounds.ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn the 17th century, Welsh men would carve intricate spoons from wood to demonstrate their interest in a woman. The design would include the woman's name and other symbols. If she accepted it and the couple later married, then the spoon would be displayed on the wall of their home.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Instagram / @b_ross_designsPhoto Credit: Instagram / @b_ross_designsADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn Niger, the Wodaabe people gather every year for a festival called "Gerewol." Men dress up in brightly colored clothing and elaborate costumes, including a full face of colorful makeup. The men dance for hours in the blistering heat while drinking a fermented bark drink that has some hallucinogenic effects. ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Michel Renaudeau / Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Michel Renaudeau / Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTMeanwhile, the women look on and judge their appearance—kind of like a beauty pageant.ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTThe Renaissance saw a resurgence of arts and culture, and the courting rituals followed suit. During the Italian Renaissance, courtiers would give ornate belts to the women they desired. These belts were often embroidered with the man's personal erotic poetry directed towards her—and I can't even get a "good morning" text.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: The Print Collector / Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: The Print Collector / Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn some African cultures, like that of the Zulus, fathers won't let suitors visit their daughters inside their own homes, but they aren't prudes about it. Instead, a father will provide his daughter with a "courting hut" where she could meet with and entertain interested suitors without her parents watching over her shoulders.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Three Lions / Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Three Lions / Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTPeople in the Victorian era loved to keep courtship rigid and regulated, but women did get to have a bit of choice with their partners. ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Culture Club / Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Culture Club / Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTAt events that involved dancing, girls would have a "dance card" tied to their wrist on which men could sign up for a dance. A man would leave his personal calling card for the lady to choose from if he wanted to see her again.ADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTMen, consider yourselves lucky that the woman of your dreams only wants an engagement ring from you. In Fijian tradition, when a man wants to marry a woman, he goes out into the sea, kills a whale, and pulls out its teeth to make a necklace (tabua). Men can buy a tabua now rather than hunt for one themselves, but the past Fijians were hardcore.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: DeAgostini / Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: DeAgostini / Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTFor the three days preceding their wedding, the bride and groom of the Tidong people of Malaysia are not allowed to use the bathroom. In their culture, ignoring this ritual and relieving yourself brings terrible luck onto the young couple and could doom the marriage to divorce or something even worse.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Dean Conger / Corbis via Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Dean Conger / Corbis via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn the 19th century, Austrian women would come to an evening dance with an apple slice wedged into their armpits. It would stay there throughout the entirety of the event. At the end fo the night, each woman would offer one lucky guy the chance to eat the fruit as a show of interest.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Roberto Machado Noa / LightRocket via Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Roberto Machado Noa / LightRocket via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn extremely modest Amish communities, people tend to keep their engagements and romantic lives under wraps until right before the wedding. However, one of the traditional and favored dishes at an Amish wedding is creamed celery, so when neighbors notice a family is suddenly growing a lot of celery, they can assume a wedding is coming soon.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Michael Brennan / Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Michael Brennan / Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIn the remote areas around Papua New Guinea's Mount Hagen, islanders from many tribes gather together for the annual Sing-sing festival. Attendees come to celebrate, sing, and dance, but also to find potential mates. Out of respect for the mating rituals of local birds, islanders wear feathers and body paint in hopes of attracting someone special.ADVERTISEMENTEric LAFFORGUE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesEric LAFFORGUE/Gamma-Rapho via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTGermans, the people who started the tradition of Christmas trees, clearly have a thing for them. An old German custom involved a young man standing a birch tree draped in ribbons and decorations on a love interest's lawn on the first of May. If the tree lasted through the month without being cut down, it meant that she reciprocated his feelings.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTTraditionally, Sioux women were supposed to practice modesty and wouldn't even make eye contact with a man they weren't directly related to. If a man wanted to woo a woman, he would stand outside her hut and play the flute for her. All she had to do was exit the hut in order to express her mutual interest.ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post via Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Helen H. Richardson / The Denver Post via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTADVERTISEMENTIt may sound bizarre, but skulls were a central part of romance for the Atayal tribe of Taiwan. Known to be a tribe of fierce warriors, men would collect the heads of their defeated enemies. When a man was interested in a woman, he would offer up all his skulls to her as a token of his romantic feelings toward her. ADVERTISEMENTPhoto Credit: Victor Fraile / Corbis via Getty ImagesPhoto Credit: Victor Fraile / Corbis via Getty ImagesADVERTISEMENTNext

Dating can seem really complicated and confusing with a bunch of weird rules involved: How long should I wait before texting back? When is it okay to slide into the DMs? How many dates should we go on before I ask where the other person sees things going?However, while our dating lives may be complex and occasionally frustrating, some historical dating rituals were straight-up bizarre.In Slavic Europe, but mostly Poland, Śmigus-dyngus is a holiday during which boys throw water over unmarried girls and spank them with pussy willow branches on Easter Monday. Boys will often walk door to door...

Weird Dating Rituals From The Past So You Can Feel Better About Swiping Tinder

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