Dowry is the clothes, furniture and other things that a woman brings to her husband's family from her mother's family when she gets married. Different places, different nationalities, different customs and habits will lead to different dowry.

People often use "a thousand acres of fertile land, ten miles of red makeup" to describe the richness of dowry. In the old custom, the day before the wedding, the woman's house hired porters to deliver the furniture to the man's house, and the bridesmaids arranged it, commonly known as "making the bed" or "issuing dowry". Although "making the bed" is not among the six major weddings, it has already become an important part of the marriage customs of the Han nationality.

The dowry of the rich family is amazing, with beds, tables, utensils, boxes and bedding. The dowry team stretches for several miles, so it is called "ten miles of red makeup". "Dowry" often becomes a parade for the rich to show off their wealth.

Extended data

There are two reasons for giving 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.

Money and things a woman brings to her husband's house when she gets married. Also known as "accompany makeup" and "make-up". 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.

Because women have no right to inherit property at their parents' home, when aristocratic bureaucrats marry women, they not only have to accept a large amount of dowry property from the man's family, but also give a large amount of property to the husband's family. This is a kind of glory. The ruling class in past dynasties still lavished on marrying women, from powder, cream and hairpin dressing in the dressing box (even) to clothes, bedding, gold and silver utensils and rare treasures.

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