From Romeo and Juliet to Beyoncé and Jay Z, love hasn’t always been about putting a ring on it. Yes, love is universal but the diverse array of courting rituals across the globe show that it’s not always the same.
In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, these are some of the unique, crazy things people do in the name of love.
Read More: This Is How People Celebrate Love Around the World
1. The Love Shack
The ‘courting hut’ of the South African Zulu tribe might be a protective father’s worst nightmare. Zulu girls’ fathers forbid any potential suitor to their home, so they out of their way to build a special hut for the couple to meet in. The practice itself, albeit bizarre, follows a long history of etiquette and tradition. It is the second of five main stages to Zulu courtship, which nearly always result in marriage.
2. Spooning
No, not the cuddling kind. Since at least the 17th century, Welsh couples have exchanged hand-carved “lovespoons” as an expression of wishing they had the other. Young men would spend hours intricately carving spoons with symbols of their hopes and desires. If a girl accepted, then it was game on. Although the tradition isn’t kept up today, “lovespoons” still serve as a popular gift in Wales for weddings, engagements and Valentine’s Day.
3. Wolf Whistling
Come nighttime, the streets of the Kickapoo village in Mexico are flooded with an orchestra of whistles. While in many cultures, whistling to call attention can be considered rude (to say the least.) the young Kickapoo couples have used it for decades. “Courtship whistling” is a way for couples to plan meetings together later on. Formerly, it was done with a flute until 1915. Each couple has their own unique tone, recognizing the other and creating their own code of whistles that no one else can understand. Although only short messages are usually exchanged, the Kickapoo can carry out entire conversations — adding new meaning to the phrase: “left me breathless.”
Read More: 5 Ways to be Ethical and Sustainable This Valentine’s Day
4. Carrying the Weight in the Relationship
Every year since 1992, competitors from all over the world sling their spouse or partner over the shoulder to partake in the Wife-carrying World Championships in Sonkarjavi, Finland. Piggyback, fireman’s carry, or Estonian-style (partner or spouse hangs upside-down with legs around the other’s shoulders, holding onto waist) — whatever the style, the objective is to get through the course in record time. The prize? The partner’s weight in beer, and a hearty pat on the back.
5. Deep Dive for Love
In Fiji, when it comes to impressing the father of the bride, men have it hard. It is common tradition to present her father with a tabua (whale’s tooth) before he even considers the suitor eligible for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Yes, that means diving down and facing off the world’s largest mammal to get the old man’s approval.
6. Netflix and Chill
These days, online dating sites and mobile dating apps are all the craze. India, a country where marriage is revered, takes it one step further. Shagun TV channel (“auspicious TV” in Hindi) features new shows designed to help single viewers find brides or grooms, shop for jewelry, and look up honeymoon destinations. Currently, the channel attracts 10 million viewers a week.
7. Bridal Shower
On the night before a Scots’ wedding, the very unlucky groom and bride-to-be are pelted with rotten eggs, treacle, soot and flour. Then, they are paraded through the streets, dragging all sorts of disgusting bits behind them. In Scotland, this ‘blackening’ ritual is performed with great gusto and is believed this humiliation early on will better prepare them for married life.
Read More: Love is Love: NYC, the World Celebrate LGBT Pride
8. Key to My Heart
Oh, Italy, the land of Trevi fountains, mopeds and padlocks — the same popular padlocks that weigh down bridges and gates worldwide. It’s no surprise the Italians were the first to use them as a proclamation of love. Inspired by Federico Moccia’s book and film I Want You, couples originally attached the padlocks to the Ponte Milvio in Rome. They would write the name of their loved one and throw the key into the river as a symbol of their unbreakable love and commitment for one another. Got that love locked down.
9. Love Letters
It’s not as easy as swiping right and starting a conversation in Southwest China during the Sisters’ Meal Festival. Men pour their hearts into serenading potential suitors. The girls pick to their liking by sending the most unusual of love letters. They cook sticky rice in four different colors, each representing a season of the year. The rice, rolled in a handkerchief, is given to each of the suitors who serenaded them. Suitors then unwrap the handkerchief and sifts through the rice to find an answer from their love interest.. Two red chopsticks: the girl likes him back. One chopstick: the girl has politely turned him down. A pine needle: sorry come again, the girl hasn’t made up her mind. A garlic or chili: “boy, bye.”