KiwiElf
22nd September 2014, 13:57
The most bizarre international laws
September 22, 2014, 11:21 am Lena Katz Total Travel NZ
https://nz.totaltravel.yahoo.com/news-opinions/news/a/-/25074924/the-most-bizarre-international-laws/
The world is a big, funny place. Practices and activities that are perfectly normal in one country might be verboten in another.
Even in countries that have had a stable government for centuries, some absolutely archaic laws still stand, even though legislators and citizens alike know that they’re ridiculous.
Try not to break any of these wacky laws on your next trip abroad.
Don’t go commando
In Thailand, it’s illegal to leave one’s domicile if not wearing underwear. Commando is a no-go! A Western mind immediately wonders, “How would the police know?” Visible panty lines are preferable to Thai jail.
Don’t infringe on the property of elves
Look out for Icelandic elf habitats.
In Iceland, modern road developments may not encroach on the traditional homes of…magical creatures. Actually this is still to be ruled on by Iceland’s Supreme Court.
However, in 2013, an elf advocacy group called Friends of Lava halted the construction of a major highway project due to fears about disturbing the elf habitat.
Save space for the aliens
Brazil has had its share of bizarre laws. There is a municipal law on the books in the state of Mato Grosso that sets aside land in the town of Barra do Garças for an alien airport.
Listen to the ladies
Women make the laws in the all-female town Noiva do Cordeiro, located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
This made international headlines last month when the town issued a public invitation for suitable men to meet and hopefully marry some of the single female population. The important caveat is, men need to abide by the women’s rules.
This makes a lot of sense, considering that Noiva do Cordeiro was founded by a woman who was excommunicated after leaving a forced marriage in the late 19th century, and populated over the generations by women who had nowhere else to go under some of Brazil’s more conservative and chauvinist family laws.
Leave your medication at home
Don't bring your medication to Japan.
Visitors to Japan may not bring Actifed, Sudafed, Vicks, or asthma inhalers into the country. Check your toiletries bag! Nothing with pseudoephedrine or codeine shall pass!
Get your pet a passport
In the EU, circus animals need passports to travel between member states. Circus mice can travel under a collective passport. It’s up to the veterinarian in the member state of departure to verify that all animals’ passports are up-to-date.
We imagine that getting stuck behind a travelling circus at airport passport control would be the worst.
Put a nappy on your donkey
In Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a peculiar piece of legislation requires that horses and burros wear nappies.
Don’t chew gum in Singapore
Pretty much everyone knows about the chewing gum ban in Singapore. It’s illegal to import it, sell it, or bring it into the country for personal use. Doubtful they’ll jail you for accidentally having a few pieces in your handbag, but…better to just leave the bubblegum at home when you travel here.
Leave your suit of armour at home
Armour is not welcome at English Parliament.
It is illegal to wear a suit of armour into the Houses of Parliament in England. Might we also suggest a ban on those barrister wigs made of horsehair? They were actually mandatory till a few years ago but are a definite crime against fashion.
Don’t eat mince pies at Christmas
In England, it is also illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas. This went on the books in the Oliver Cromwell era, is apparently broken en masse by British citizenry every holiday season, and placed near the top of a recent poll of “most ludicrous laws in the UK”.
Leave the pink hot pants at home
Women may not wear pink hot pants any time after noon on a Sunday in Victoria, Australia. So yes, wear those fuchsia Daisy Dukes to church on Sunday morning, but put on something more modest for your afternoon barbecue.
This story originally appeared on Yahoo Travel.
September 22, 2014, 11:21 am Lena Katz Total Travel NZ
https://nz.totaltravel.yahoo.com/news-opinions/news/a/-/25074924/the-most-bizarre-international-laws/
The world is a big, funny place. Practices and activities that are perfectly normal in one country might be verboten in another.
Even in countries that have had a stable government for centuries, some absolutely archaic laws still stand, even though legislators and citizens alike know that they’re ridiculous.
Try not to break any of these wacky laws on your next trip abroad.
Don’t go commando
In Thailand, it’s illegal to leave one’s domicile if not wearing underwear. Commando is a no-go! A Western mind immediately wonders, “How would the police know?” Visible panty lines are preferable to Thai jail.
Don’t infringe on the property of elves
Look out for Icelandic elf habitats.
In Iceland, modern road developments may not encroach on the traditional homes of…magical creatures. Actually this is still to be ruled on by Iceland’s Supreme Court.
However, in 2013, an elf advocacy group called Friends of Lava halted the construction of a major highway project due to fears about disturbing the elf habitat.
Save space for the aliens
Brazil has had its share of bizarre laws. There is a municipal law on the books in the state of Mato Grosso that sets aside land in the town of Barra do Garças for an alien airport.
Listen to the ladies
Women make the laws in the all-female town Noiva do Cordeiro, located in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
This made international headlines last month when the town issued a public invitation for suitable men to meet and hopefully marry some of the single female population. The important caveat is, men need to abide by the women’s rules.
This makes a lot of sense, considering that Noiva do Cordeiro was founded by a woman who was excommunicated after leaving a forced marriage in the late 19th century, and populated over the generations by women who had nowhere else to go under some of Brazil’s more conservative and chauvinist family laws.
Leave your medication at home
Don't bring your medication to Japan.
Visitors to Japan may not bring Actifed, Sudafed, Vicks, or asthma inhalers into the country. Check your toiletries bag! Nothing with pseudoephedrine or codeine shall pass!
Get your pet a passport
In the EU, circus animals need passports to travel between member states. Circus mice can travel under a collective passport. It’s up to the veterinarian in the member state of departure to verify that all animals’ passports are up-to-date.
We imagine that getting stuck behind a travelling circus at airport passport control would be the worst.
Put a nappy on your donkey
In Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brazil, a peculiar piece of legislation requires that horses and burros wear nappies.
Don’t chew gum in Singapore
Pretty much everyone knows about the chewing gum ban in Singapore. It’s illegal to import it, sell it, or bring it into the country for personal use. Doubtful they’ll jail you for accidentally having a few pieces in your handbag, but…better to just leave the bubblegum at home when you travel here.
Leave your suit of armour at home
Armour is not welcome at English Parliament.
It is illegal to wear a suit of armour into the Houses of Parliament in England. Might we also suggest a ban on those barrister wigs made of horsehair? They were actually mandatory till a few years ago but are a definite crime against fashion.
Don’t eat mince pies at Christmas
In England, it is also illegal to eat mince pies on Christmas. This went on the books in the Oliver Cromwell era, is apparently broken en masse by British citizenry every holiday season, and placed near the top of a recent poll of “most ludicrous laws in the UK”.
Leave the pink hot pants at home
Women may not wear pink hot pants any time after noon on a Sunday in Victoria, Australia. So yes, wear those fuchsia Daisy Dukes to church on Sunday morning, but put on something more modest for your afternoon barbecue.
This story originally appeared on Yahoo Travel.