At the heart of any European is a bridge with a thousand castles. The thing is that just twenty years ago there was a tradition of “cementing” feelings in this way. He believes that if lovers, having hung the lock on the railing of the bridge, throw the key into the water, nothing will ever be able to destroy the union of their hearts.
The emergence of tradition
Despite the fact that this tradition seems very romantic and ancient, it appeared only in the nineties. For one of his novels, the Italian writer Federico Moccia could never invent how his heroes in love would swear an oath of loyalty and love to each other. Since the action in his novel took place in Rome, he wanted to find some special romantic place in the Eternal City, but it was not there. Therefore, the author invented his own tradition. He appointed the Milvio Bridge as such a place for all lovers of Rome, where his heroes swore oaths to each other, hung up the lock and threw away the key.
Since the publication of the novel, the Milvio Bridge has been covered with locks, making it difficult to distinguish it beneath them. Once, under the weight of the castles, a lamppost on this bridge fell. The Roman authorities tried for a very long time to intervene, to somehow structure this tradition, but to no avail. The Italian lovers did not give up their refuge and continued to hang locks on the Milvio Bridge.
Over time, this tradition has spread throughout Europe. Moreover, there any couple in love can take an oath in this way, but in our country, castles are, first of all, associated with a wedding. In Moscow, for example, Luzhkovsky Bridge has become a place of pilgrimage for half of all newlyweds in the capital. True, in the case of the Luzhkovsky bridge, the city authorities acted very cleverly. A tree of love was erected next to the bridge itself, the branches of which can withstand thousands of these castle vows without harming anyone. After a very short time, several more relatives appeared at the Tree of Love, since all the castles could not fit on the branches of one structure. Now, next to the Trees of Love on the Luzhkovsky Bridge, there are also benches for quarreling lovers. Their design assumes that any person who shrinks from the very edge will still slide to the center.
Locks from the most popular bridges are regularly cut to make room for new ones. Therefore, it makes sense to hang your lock away from popular places so that it lasts longer.
Slavic traditions
In Slavic traditions, both bridges and castles were actively used. After the wedding, when the bride entered her husband's house, there was always an open castle next to the threshold. When the young went inside, the lock was closed, the key was thrown into a deep well. Sometimes the castle was also heated, which metaphorically closed the marriage.
Until now, many grooms cross seven bridges before the wedding, as this promises happiness.
In the Slavic tradition, bridges have always been considered a symbol of transition. Therefore, grooms often carried brides across bridges to keep the marriage happy. So the European new tradition of castle oaths took root well on Russian soil.
