Of Love and Locks

If you visit a large city in Russia (such as Moscow, Petersburg) you’ll no doubt notice rows and rows of metal padlocks on bridges. This is a Russian marriage tradition in which couples hang locks on bridges as a symbol of a future long, stable marriage. It is common to see brides and grooms attaching locks with their names engraved on them to metal structures throughout the city. In Moscow, officials have created metal “lock trees” to hold these locks. Now, men dressed as “utilities workers” have begun following marriage processions, cutting the locks off bridges and other infrastructure. Still, it is common to see clumps of locks in smaller towns and less well-known areas of the cities. No word yet on whether these "utility workers" are causing any divorces in the Motherland.