In ancient times, the dowry prepared by rich families for their daughters ranged from toilets, bed cabinets, cosmetic boxes to coffins, so that their daughters could live well in their in-laws' homes without spending a penny, and they could have confidence in their in-laws without looking at their faces.
Dowry is generally a small private house that the bride's family takes to her husband's family for their own use when they get married. After the delivery, the woman prepares the dowry. Some large families specialize in making wine when their daughters are born, put it in the wine cellar and bury it in the wine cellar at the mouth of the stove, which is called "Daughter Red" for relatives and friends to share on the wedding day. Dowry varies in thickness from rich to poor.
After receiving the bride price, the woman's family should send the dowry to the man's family the day before the wedding at the latest. Dowry is a symbol of a woman's status and wealth. In the past, Cantonese people liked to send dowry with camphor wood to show their durability. Dowry can be divided into "sending makeup" and "welcoming makeup". "Make-up" means that the woman's family sends the dowry to the man's family. In addition to people with makeup, the woman's family will also invite several relatives and friends to take care of it together. The more people there are, the thicker the woman's house is.
After the dowry is carried to the man's house, the man will invite relatives and friends to meet him. This is called "welcome makeup". In the dowry, besides precious jewelry and gold ornaments, there are many things that symbolize good omen. Use the spittoon as a bucket for children and grandchildren, and hope that your daughter will flourish and your children and grandchildren will be full. Take the red ruler as the future ruler, which means fertile land; Vases represent rich flowers; Copper plates and shoes mean to grow old together; Silver foreskin wrapped around the waist; Scissors refer to butterflies flying in pairs; A pair of dragon and phoenix quilts, sheets and pillows, wishing the couple love and lingering; A piece of candy is a metaphor for sweet happiness; Dragon and phoenix bowls and chopsticks, as food and clothing bowls, indicate ample food and clothing (there is a profitable market in the bowls, which can replace 72 sets of clothes as dowry).
In recent years, in order to conform to the trend of politeness and simple details, a kind of exquisite micro-dowry has appeared in the market. On the basis of the original work, she designed a festive style with China characteristics, and chose superior camphor wood to celebrate traditional customs, which won the favor of prospective married people.
In traditional society, couples usually live in their husbands' homes. Even now, they will go to their husbands' home for dinner to celebrate China New Year. This problem is not only a problem of cultural background, but also a common phenomenon in all countries, especially in developing countries. Korean, Indian and China are all the same.
Reasons for dowry:
1, for the sake of daughter's better life, supplement the family, or emergency preparedness.
2. Strive for the status of the man's daughter. A large dowry can show that the woman's family has economic strength (although ordinary families are patchwork). Therefore, it is often seen that ancient women attach great importance to the dowry they brought to the man's house, such as bracelets and jade articles. The above two points are in line with the economic man's cost-benefit analysis or utility maximization.
1. The bride price and dowry are given by the man to the woman's home. The bride's parents may also give the bride price to their daughter as a dowry, but it's okay not to give it. The woman's parents have complete control.
The dowry is for the bride and belongs to the bride's private property. The husband's family has no right to use and interfere. If you want to touch your daughter-in-law's dowry, you must ask her permission, and it makes sense for her not to agree. In ancient times, it was a bad behavior to encroach on a daughter-in-law's dowry, which was bad for her reputation.
After a woman dies, the dowry can only be inherited by her own children. If there are no children, it will be inherited by her family. This is because after a certain dynasty (I forget whether it was Tang or Song and Ming), women in China actually had a certain inheritance right, and the inheritance of her family's property was reflected by dowry, so if she had no descendants to return to her family, others in her husband's family were not allowed to possess it.
4. When a woman divorces or leaves her husband's family, she takes the dowry herself, and there is no division.
In ancient real life, many daughter-in-law were still taken in by her husband's family because of their weak health, but if someone reported or spread this kind of thing, his husband's family would pay the price. In ancient times, women usually used dowry to subsidize their families (small families), help their husbands to study or do business, raise and pass them on to their children, and some special "virtuous" also used dowry to take concubines for their husbands to improve their status.
4 taboo attention
1, the day before the wedding, it is not appropriate for men and women to meet, so it is not appropriate for the woman to send the bride's immediate adult relatives with her when giving the dowry.
2. The woman should send a close relative boy (usually the bride's brother or the close relative's brother) with the key to the dowry box. Now it is generally called "dowry" as long as you go with her.
3. All dowry items and all kinds of vehicles and tools used to send dowry are made of red silk to show good luck.
4. The number of dowry givers and cars should be even.
The man must like cigarettes, candy and money for dowry. For a boy with a dowry, the money should be more.
6. Avoid beds, pots and clocks.
7. Items that the bride and groom can use, such as bedding, washbasin, mirror, teacup, pillow towel, chair and stool, vase, etc. , should be an even number.
References:
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