When I was very young, my older sister was ready to get married. My parents prepared a dowry for her. I saw a lot of dowry. So I was very curious about the dowry. I wanted to know the origin of the dowry culture.
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【The traditional marriage ceremony】 (Taken from Google Graphics.) |
[Cultural origin]
In ancient times, when a woman was ready to get married, her family often prepared some things. These things are dowry. A bride will take the dowry to her husband's home. These things include money, clothing, furniture and other supplies. Her husband needs to give back some money to the bride's family. This is an ancient custom. Once when people set the wedding date, the bride’s family members and the bridegroom’s family members would discuss the dowry and other things. They would list many dowry items on a red paper or on a silk cloth. The dowry items usually include:
(1) wooden furniture, such as cabinets, chairs, Mirror
(2) fabrics, such as clothing, mosquito nets, pillows, quilts
(3) jewelry, such as rings, hairpins, necklaces
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【Dowry】 (Taken from Google Graphics.) |
[Cultural meaning]
The major purpose of the dowry is to make a new couple build a new family easily. The couple do not spend much money on furniture and clothes. For a long-term goal, if a woman's husband dies, she can sell part of the dowry items to pay her life expenses. In addition, the woman can take some money from dowry to save it in the bank. Another important dowry function is to prevent the woman from bad treatment. The bride’s parents expect the bridegroom’s families to treat their daughter well because they share their family's financial burden.
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【Dowry】 (Taken from Google Graphics.) |
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