There are countries around the world where seemingly innocent actions or activities can land you in legal trouble. As a non-native, you might want to question locals if they even followed the law. For example, you might forget your wife’s birthday. Yes, you read that correctly. In Samoa, in the Polynesian region of the Pacific Ocean, forgetting your spouse’s birthday is considered a serious offence that can land you in jail.

Can it, in fact?

Samoa, a lovely Oceania country, recently made headlines due to some shocking news that spread viral. There’s no arguing that birthdays are important occasions to remember and that we should make those around us feel special, but multiple media outlets have reported on one of the oddest laws in Samoa, which punished men who forgot their spouses’ birthday. A German language face check site, faktastisch, likewise stunned its readers when it stated that Samoan men face jail time if they forget their spouses’ birthdays.

However, the Samoan-based newspaper Samoa Observer stated that they spoke with lawyer Fiona Ey, a partner at the Samoan-based law company Clarke Ey Koria Lawyers, who denied knowledge of any such law.

The daily highlighted that a similar story regarding an ostensibly live Samoan law was published in 2019 by Lawyer’s Monthly, a British magazine for commercial lawyers and in-house counsel.

“Long and short of it – it’s an apocryphal story and a great example of why you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet, even if it is published by Lawyer’s Monthly,” Fiona is quoted as adding.

But, while Samoa may not have satiated your appetite for bizarre laws from around the world, we are sure there are plenty more.

There are bizarre regulations all throughout the world. For example, North Korea has made wearing blue jeans illegal since they are considered as a symbol of American imperialism. Chewing gum is prohibited in Singapore because it contributes to pollution.

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