8 Things with Old Symbolic Meaning Hardly Anyone Remembers Anymore...

Here are some things with symbolic meanings that have been lost.

In Slavic tribes ribbons in hair used to inform about marital status of young women. Most often they were placed in braids. The lack of a ribbon meant that the girl was actively looking for a husband. One ribbon meant that the girl had already found a fiancé and that she expected him to propose to her soon. Two ribbons meant that the fiancé had been found, the proposal had been made, and the parents of both parties had agreed to the marriage.

In the Middle Ages, striped clothing meant that one belonged to the lowest classes of society. The law required prostitutes, heretics, jesters, executioners, and leprosy patients to wear striped clothing: usually a gown, shawl, or cloak. Society thought this was ideal: the striped print was easy to spot from a distance.Wives who cheated on their husbands and illegitimate children were also sometimes branded with this pattern. It was not until the Renaissance that attitudes toward stripes changed.

In the past, people on some Polynesian islands shaved the sides of their heads, leaving one long lock of hair in the middle or on top of the head. Often they would also tie it in a knot. Such a hairstyle meant that these people took a sacred oath to avenge the death of a loved one. The hairstyle was changed only after the promise was fulfilled.

Researchers believe that one of the most important functions of dreadlocks in black tribes, Indians, and semi-mythical Amazons was to ward off enemies.

In 1991, scientists found a mummy that was over 5,000 years old and named it Ötzi. It was the oldest mummy in the world. Ötzi's genetic test showed that the poor man had many health problems during his lifetime, including arthritis and stomach ulcers. Besides, the researchers discovered that his entire body was covered with tattoos - they counted 61 images in total. The researchers analyzed the tattooed areas and concluded that they were done for medical purposes, as the images were located in the exact areas that were affected by the diseases. Thus, the tattoos were probably a kind of medicine against diseases.

In the Middle Ages, the Church disliked red lipstick; the clergy believed that the color came from the devil. In Britain, for example, painting your lips this color was a public confession of witchcraft. In ancient Greece, the situation was quite different: there, prostitutes were forced to paint their lips red so that everyone could easily identify their profession. And the people of ancient Rome (of both sexes), used the red color to show others how rich they were. The more money a person had, the brighter the color of their lipstick.

In ancient Egypt, people could easily determine the social status of others by the color of their nails: priests and nobles painted their nails bright red, while commoners could use any bright color they wanted. Other colors were popular in Babylon: aristocrats loved black, and the poor painted theirs green. Interestingly, not only women but also men painted their nails. In both countries, a good manicure was considered proof of nobility, so in wealthy homes there was often a whole team of servants who were responsible for the state of the nails of the householder and his family.

Some Japanese women used to put bobby pins and chopsticks in their hair so they could use them in emergencies - they were used as weapons. To learn to use it proficiently, girls sometimes spent literally years with an experienced teacher. The more imaginative ladies would put a strong poison on the tips of the sticks so that even the smallest scratch would be fatal to their opponent.

Did you know any of these old tricks?