Being single is not easy but being single in these countries is even worse than you can think.
From tying single people who are 25 years to a lampost, to throwing things at them while ridiculing them. Here are some of the unbelievable traditions from around the world.
Denmark
In Denmark, there is a ridiculous tradition for unmarried 25-year-olds to get tied up to a chair or tree or lampost, and have one of their friends throw copious amounts of cinnamon all over them.
Apparently, this tradition dates back to the 16th Century when Danish spice salesmen devoted so much time to their trade that they forgot to find themselves a bride. Since then, young unmarried people have been taunted with cinnamon as a way of reminding them that they should find a life partner soon.
People went overboard with this tradition one time when a man was set ablaze after the tradition went wrong. Luckily, he had a dust mask on to protect his face and only received minor burns to his legs.
Germany
Germany is filled with numerous traditions for singletons, including Schachtelfest, which essentially is a festival dedicated to all single females approaching 25. The word Schachtelfest or ‘alte Schachtel’ literally means ‘old box’.
When it’s the lady’s 25th birthday and she’s not yet married, her friends will gather all kinds of moving boxes, then early in the morning or during the night before her birthday, they will block her front door with all the boxes. This somewhat strange tradition started randomly just for fun.
Germany also has a tradition where if you are an unmarried woman at 30, you are expected to clean your friends’ doorknobs with toothbrushes. However, if you are an unmarried 30-year-old man, all you have to do is sweep up the stairs. You can get out of these chores though by kissing someone of the opposite gender.
France
In France, there is Saint Catherine’s Day tradition which is much kinder to single 25-year-old women with a big celebration on the 25th of November.
Before you get to the crazy, fun celebrations, however, there is a prayer that the women should say the night before their birthday. This is:
“Donnez-moi, Seigneur, un mari de bon lieu! Qu’il soit doux, opulent, libéral et agréable!”
Translating to, “Lord, give me a well-situated husband. Let him be gentle, rich, generous, and pleasant!”
After this humorous prayer, the lady will then send an encouraging postcard to other singletons, called Catherinettes, in honour of Saint Catherine herself.
But that’s not all – the friends of these Catherinettes will make you a crazy hat that is supposed to match your personality. You can then join in on a parade, where you and your friends show off your fancy hats!
Austria
The tradition of Zwangspoltern is for all 30-year-old, unmarried people from upper Austria
Their friends will surprise them, usually at work, with an eclectic outfit prepared for their special day.
The celebrant then has to put the outfit on, no questions asked, and sell random items to strangers, including alcohol or lollies. They gather all the money they have made and spend it all on drinks for themself and their friends that night.
This one sounds like so much fun right?
Malaysia
In Malaysia, on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar, women are encouraged to write their phone numbers on oranges before throwing them into the closest river.
This tradition of Chap Goh Mei is practiced in the hopes that the man of their dreams will pick up their orange and call them.
However, fruit vendors often collect the oranges as they are considered a lucky fruit and resell them at the market, even with the phone numbers still on them.
Traditionally, it was believed that there is a matchmaker from the moon who would tie red strings on the couple’s destiny, blessing them and aiding them in finding the right orange.
Olalekan Ajimoti – Blogger, Content Writer, and Digital Marketer helping brands and retailers build 8-figure e-commerce since 2016.
As a corporate trainer, brand communications expert, and brand consultant, I help people start, stay and grow in business leveraging digital skills and traditional expertise.
