Every country, every culture has their romantic traditions, passed down by time and shared between lovers for generations. In the U.S., we celebrate Valentine’s Day with lavish dinner dates, boxes of chocolates, and giant musical stuffed animals. Yet across the world, from the tundra to the tropics, one single romantic gesture has become increasingly popular throughout the past decade: love locks.

Originating in China, these locks were initially placed on fences and poles around Mount Huang by lovers, in hopes that by setting the lock and throwing away the key they would cement their love forever.

The trend recently spread to Europe after the Italian author Frederico Moccia illustrated the concept in his book Ho Voglia di Te (I Want You) in 2006. The fictional couple in his story places locks on the Ponte Milvio (Milvian Bridge) in Rome.

Since then, the love lock fad spread from Italy all the way to Australia, and even some U.S. cities such as Chicago and New York. While many cities have protested the clutter on public property and historical landmarks such as the Pont des Artes in Paris, hordes across the globe have joined into the act compelled by that force that moves mountains: love.

See the love locks across the world with Explorica