Une loterie d'amour

French may be the language of love, but romance hasn’t always run smoothly for its inhabitants. A traditional custom called *la loterie d’amour (love lottery) used to see single male suitors stand outside the homes of single women and call out until they were paired off. If the man found his partner-to-be displeasing, he’d head for *les collines.

In retaliation, the scorned women would then band together and start a bonfire, burning images of the men and cursing them. Eventually, this practice was banned by the government, and more palatable traditions took its place.

*the hills