by I have been seeing love padlocks on bridges everywhere I go, especially in Europe. Of course, Paris is the most famous for these love locks but I spotted them recently in Ljubljana and Venice (anyone seen any in India?)
So couples affix locks to railings on bridges – I think they write their names on them – and throw away the key. And voila! undying love.
I can’t find anything definite on when and how this custom came into being. This story in the WSJ says that it grew in popularity in the wake of the 2006 Italian novel ‘I Want You’ featuring two Roman lovers who immortalized their bond on a bridge in the Eternal City and threw the key in the Tiber.
Turns out though, not everyone is a fan. If Rome trod carefully around this phenomenon, Florence tried to get them removed from Ponte Vecchio a few years ago. Parisians thought of these locks as nothing better than graffiti and sought to have them removed (they made their way back quickly though) while Chicago had a cutting response.
Me, I like them – they make for great photographs and I am going to keep my eyes open every place I visit.
I’ve seen them in Lithuania, too!
I think it is a sweet custom. And, yes, they do make for interesting pics! 🙂
I have seen locks being used by devotees in some temples and mosques in India, too. I saw them at a temple in Ahmedabad on my last visit there. Even posted a pic of it on my blog: http://thegalnxtdoor.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/snapshots-from-ahmedabad/