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Many lovers typically exchange roses, sweets, jewelry and other gifts on Valentine’s Day — but here are a few unexpected ways of expressing love.

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Love letters to Juliet

Just like Valentine’s Day, Juliet’s balcony in the Italian city of Verona is a clever marketing coup. After all, Romeo and Juliet are Shakespeare’s fictional characters, and the balcony on “Juliet’s house” in Verona was actually added to the building in the 20th century. Still, tourists keep flocking to the location, leaving letters at her doorstep in the hope that it will bring them luck.

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Putting up a May tree

According to a German custom, young unmarried men erect a tree in front of the house of the girls they’re in love with on May 1. It’s usually a young birch decorated with colorful ribbons and a heart with the girl’s name. The tree will stand there for one month. If the girl knows which one of her beaus put it up, and if she appreciates the gesture, the admirer may receive a kiss in return.

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Carving a lovespoon

In the girl’s eyes, it’s a sign of love, and for her parents, a proof of the fellow’s manual skills. The Welsh tradition lovespoon tradition dates back to the 17th century. Dark winter nights and long trips on the sea offered enough time for carving these treasures. Nowadays, the spoons are sought-after gifts.

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Picking flowers

In the middle of the summer, Swedes pick a bunch of flowers not for the person they love, but for themselves. The bouquet must consist of seven different kinds of flowers from seven different fields. It is believed that by putting these flowers under their pillow, young women will dream of the man they will marry one day.

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Adding body odor to apple slices

According to this admittedly outdated Austrian custom, women stick an apple slice under their armpit while dancing, and then offer it to a potential boyfriend. He would eat it if the feeling was mutual. What appears to be a rather odd proof of love actually makes sense from a biological perspective, as body odor has been proven to influence sexual attraction.

Author: Antje Binder (ad)