Bride price, a tradition in some cultures, is a sum of money or assets given to the bride’s family. It associates value with women and can be an important part of religious expression. The bride’s family sets the price and negotiations are required. In some cases, a bride’s fee may include bridal service. The families of the bride and groom meet to discuss the price, and once agreed upon, the couple is considered engaged. If the engagement is broken, the family must return the bride price.
A sum of money, land, livestock, or other assets given to a bride’s family in some cultures is known as bride price or bridewealth. This tradition was common in many cultures, including early biblical societies, and continues in some nations of the world, often in symbolic form. Bride price is not the same thing as a dowry; a dowry is given to a groom’s family by the bride’s family, and a dowry is a gift from a groom to a bride, traditionally given on or shortly after their wedding.
The bride price tradition might seem archaic to some people, while others believe that it has served and continues to serve some valuable functions in the cultures where the tradition is used. First, it associates value with women and brides by forcing grooms and their families to give up something to marry a desired woman. In some cultures, the price was also meant to compensate for the loss of a valuable female worker in the home. Additionally, it can be an important part of religious expression and traditional marriage negotiations.
The Bible includes several references to this tradition, as well as many other religious texts. Traditionally, the bride’s family sets the bride price, although some careful negotiating is required to ensure that the price isn’t greedy or usurious. In modern times, some concerns have been raised about families essentially selling their daughters for bride prices, often at a very young age. This has led to a ban on this tradition in some regions, in the interest of protecting women. In other countries, bride price may be symbolic, rather than serious; the groom’s family might give flowers to the bride’s family, for example, or donate goods and services to a charity in the bride’s name.
In some cases, a bride’s fee may also include bridal service, services performed for the bride’s family by the groom. Bridal service can be seen in many Western nations, although it may not be specifically identified; a groom might, for example, participate in charities that the bride favors to demonstrate her commitment to her.
In cultures that still practice the bride price tradition, the families of the bride and groom generally meet to discuss the price. Several factors go into bride price, including the bride’s opportunity, the skills and talents she may have, and current market trends. Once the two agree on the sum and the deal is done, the bride and groom are considered engaged and the entertainments of other offerings are considered gauche. If the engagement is broken, the family is required to return it, net of any dowries paid.
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