Lenco dos namorados
An embroidered handkerchief from the Minho region of Portugal, given by a young woman to her sweetheart.
Also: lovers handkerchief, lenço dos namorados
The lenco dos namorados, lovers' handkerchief, is a Portuguese folk token from the Minho region in the north. A young woman embroiders a linen or cotton kerchief with hearts, flowers, doves and short rhymed messages in cross-stitch, often misspelled on purpose in a naive style, and gives it to a young man to show her choice. If he accepts and wears it, it signals a courtship. It has become a national symbol of love, sold at festivals, and is rarely used in a wedding itself. It is a courtship token more than a wedding rite.
Region: Europe