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The bride price originated from one of the ancient wedding procedures in China, also known as betrothal price, bride price and engagement.
China has been married since ancient times. When the marriage agreement was first reached, it was a custom for the man to give the bride price and dowry to the woman. This kind of bride price and dowry is commonly known as "bride price". During the period after the founding of New China, the bride price and the engagement related to the bride price were criticized and once abolished, but they have always existed among the people.
Bridal gifts are commonly understood, especially the betrothal gifts or cash gifts given by men to women in marriage and love. In today's internet, it also refers to an act of giving each other lottery tickets and blessings. In some places, the custom is called taking the sign, which means success, that is, after giving the bride price, the marriage contract is formally concluded, and it is generally not allowed to go back on our word. If there is remorse, if the woman repents, the bride price will be returned to the man; If the man goes back on his word, the bride price will not be refunded. The bride price represents a woman's value, which some regions and nationalities call a gift of value. How much bride price the man's family sends to the woman's family depends on the requirements of the woman's family and the economic situation of the man's family.
More and more attention has been paid to the social contradictions caused by the bad habits of bride price, and various rectification actions have been carried out in some areas. Chapter I General Provisions Article 3 of the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China: "Arranging, buying and selling marriages and other acts that interfere with the freedom of marriage are prohibited.
The origin of custom
The ancient book The Book of Rites. "Confused ceremony" uploaded: "People who confuse the ceremony must combine the interests of the two surnames and be the ancestors of the temple, while the next generation is the successor, so the gentleman values it. It's about accepting gifts, claiming fame, Naji, collecting levies and inviting parties. The host banquets in the temple several times, but he worships outside the door, enters and obeys the temple, so it is also a matter of respect and prudence. " Another book, Yili, said: "There are six gifts when you are confused, such as receiving gifts, asking names, accepting gifts, inviting parties and welcoming people." This is the traditional custom of "six rites to get married", which was founded in the Western Zhou Dynasty and has been followed by successive dynasties. It is also the source of the custom of "bride price".
The Zhou Dynasty was an era of etiquette. At that time, a complete set of wedding etiquette was gradually formed. There are detailed provisions in the Book of Rites, which combine the whole set of rituals into "six rituals". The "six rites" marriage system established in the Western Zhou Dynasty and followed by successive generations is the source of the custom of "bride price". The "six gifts" are: receiving gifts, asking names, receiving gifts, inviting parties and welcoming relatives. The "receiving gift money" in the Six Rites is the gift money, which is equivalent to the present "bride price". This form of marriage continued until the Republic of China. Generally, it is money or things that the man gives to the woman at the time of marriage.