By strange laws one can study the traditions and peculiarities of national mentality. In this context, a legal norm is as much a product of culture as a film, book, or painting. In a peculiar 'mirror of laws,' Australians have shown themselves to be very naïve people. In Australia, there is a law prohibiting walking on the streets in black clothing, felt shoes, and a face painted with black wax, since all of the above constitutes the attire of a night burglar. Additionally, there is a law here requiring persons engaged in paid transport to carry hay with them. True, compliance with this rule by modern taxi drivers is not monitored – fortunately, they have long since stopped carrying passengers on horses.
Residents of Switzerland are overly respectful of others' peace. It is in this country that legislators came up with the idea of banning noisy flushing of toilets after ten o'clock in the evening, as it might disturb neighbors. However, modern Swiss plumbing makes violating this law virtually impossible. Toilet cisterns are produced with enhanced sound insulation, and they are designed so that water silently flows down special tubes instead of crashing down noisily.
The city-state of Singapore is known worldwide for its cleanliness and hefty fines for attempting to violate that cleanliness. For example, dropping litter on the street results in a fine equivalent to $600. Additionally, the sale of chewing gum was banned here for 12 years – a radical way to combat hooligans who stick it everywhere. The ban was only lifted in 2004, when gum appeared on the shelves of Singaporean pharmacies.
In African Swaziland, a law was recently passed prohibiting women from wearing underwear. The norm was sanctioned by the local monarch, who proclaimed a return to traditions, while underwear is non-traditional undergarments for Swazi women. The punishment for wearing underwear is quite humiliating: soldiers tear it off women and rip it into small pieces. True, it remains unclear how the enforcers will see women's underwear, if according to another law issued by the same monarch, female residents of Swaziland over 10 years old must wear skirts no shorter than the knee.
In Thailand, it is legally forbidden to trample on money. At first glance, the measure is completely pointless, but a few details will clarify the situation. The fact is that all Thai banknotes and coins bear the image of the king. Stepping on his image is disrespectful to the monarch, for which imprisonment is prescribed.
Finally, in France it is still forbidden to name pigs Napoleon. Note that in this case, the distribution of George Orwell's book 'Animal Farm' should also be banned on the country's territory, since one of the main characters is a boar named Napoleon.
Many nominally active strange laws are nothing but remnants of the past, sometimes quite distant. Most often, such norms are found in Great Britain and the USA, where legislation has not been completely revised for many centuries. In the United States, there are even public groups that fight for the repeal of 'stupid' laws. It's not an easy task: after all, one must first find the absurd, long-unused law and also check if it hasn't already been repealed.
Take, for example, the British law mentioned by The Times, requiring every male subject over 14 years old to spend two hours a day on archery practice. This decree was issued back in the 14th century by King Edward III, who is also known for banning a ball game now known as football. Football was finally legalized in 1603. And the obligation to shoot a bow daily was officially lifted from Britons under Queen Victoria in 1863. True, there is suspicion that they stopped doing it much earlier.
The Times also reminds that in London, any free citizen is allowed to drive a flock of sheep across London Bridge without paying a toll. Additionally, a free citizen has the opportunity to lead geese along Cheapside. However, a person infected with the plague is forbidden to stop taxis on the streets. Furthermore, there is a law prohibiting two men from having sex in a house where a third person is present. This law was passed at the end of the 16th century as a way to combat homosexual brothels that appeared in large English cities.
In protecting public morality, lawmakers in various countries and states also show somewhat misplaced zeal. For example, in Italy, a man in a skirt can be arrested. It is clear, of course, which men in skirts are meant, but what about Scotsmen who honor their traditions while in Italy?
In the state of Florida, only the so-called missionary position is allowed for sex, and during sex, it is forbidden to kiss a woman's breasts. In Massachusetts, lovemaking in the 'cowgirl' position is not permitted.
In the state of Ohio, women are forbidden to wear patent leather shoes: it is believed that the shoes can reflect underwear. In Iowa, kissing for longer than five minutes is prohibited. And lastly in this category, a mysterious law from the state of Florida forbids unmarried women from parachuting on Sundays. This, too, must be related to public morality.
In the state of Alabama, it is forbidden to drive a car blindfolded. In Ohio, it is not allowed to give alcohol to fish. In Boulder City, Colorado, it is illegal to kill birds. Furthermore, it is unlawful to own domestic animals there. Thus, anyone who keeps a cat or dog is officially called an 'animal caretaker.' Thank goodness they at least don't forbid keeping photos of cats and dogs in the apartment.
In the state of Vermont, a wife must obtain her husband's written consent for dentures. In London, the head of any dead whale found on the shore belongs to the king. The tail of such a whale belongs to the queen if she needs whalebone for a corset.
Laws that can well be called absurd are also adopted in the post-Soviet space. For example, in Belarus, motorists were required to keep at least three condoms in their first-aid kit. For the absence of contraceptives, not only men but also women and even priests were mercilessly fined. True, according to the latest data, in 2007 the Belarusian authorities abolished this rule.