Bridal price , bridewealth , or bridal token , is money, property, or other form of wealth paid by the groom or family for a family of women that he will get married or just get married. The price of the bride can be compared to the dowry, paid to the groom, or used by the bride to help set up a new household, and dowry, which is a property completed by the bride by the groom at the time of the wedding. Some cultures can practice dowry and bride price simultaneously. Many cultures practice bridal pricing before the recording.
The tradition of providing bridal pricing is practiced in many Asian countries, parts of Africa and in some Pacific Island communities, especially in Melanesia. The amount that changes hands can range from tokens to continuing traditional rituals, up to thousands of US dollars in weddings in Thailand, and as much as $ 100,000 in enormous bride prices in parts of Papua New Guinea where bride prices are customary.
Video Bride price
Function
Bridewealth is generally paid in currencies that are generally not used for other types of exchange. According to the French anthropologist Philippe Rospabà © Å ©, the payment does not mean the purchase of a woman, as predicted in the early twentieth century. Rather, it is a purely symbolic movement of acknowledging (but never paying) a permanent debt of a husband to a wife's parents.
Mahar exists in a society where capital is more important than manual work. For example, in Central Europe Age, a wife must bring dowries, livestock and money. Bridewealth exists in communities where manual work is more important than capital. In South Africa-Saharan, the land is abundant, there is little or no pets, manual work is important, and therefore dominated by kinship.
The explanation of evolutionary psychology for dowries and bridal pricing is that the price of the bride is common in polygamous societies that have a relative scarcity of women available. In a monogamous society where women have little personal wealth, dowry is not a common thing because there is a relative scarcity of rich people who can choose from many potential women when married.
Maps Bride price
History
Mesopotamia
The Code of Hammurabi mentions the price of the bride in various laws as a custom established. This is not a prescribed bridal price payment, but the arrangement of various aspects:
- a man who pays the bride price but finds another bride will not get a refund, but he will if the bride's father refuses the match
- if a wife dies without a son, his father is entitled to the return of his dowry, minus the price of the bride price
Jewish Traditions
The Hebrew Bible mentions the practice of paying the bride price to the father of a little girl. Exodus 22: 16-17 says:
- "If a man persuades a virgin who does not promise to marry, and lies with him, he will surely pay the dowry to be his wife.If his father absolutely refuses to give it to him, he will pay the money according to the virgin dowry. "~~~~
Deuteronomy 22: 28-29 also states:
- If a man finds a virgin woman, who does not promise to marry, and lies on it, and lies with her, and they are found; And the man that lieth with him shall give her the father fifty shekels of silver, and he shall be his wife, for he has humbled her; he may not get rid of it all day.
In the Jewish tradition, the rabbis in ancient times insisted that the married couple enter a marriage contract, called the cloak . The caption is reserved for the amount that the husband has to pay in the event of a divorce ( get ) or by his property in the event of his death. This amount is a substitute for dowry or bridal price, which is paid at the wedding by the groom.
This innovation occurs because the bride price creates a major social problem: many young prospective husbands can not raise the amount at the time when they are usually expected to get married. So, to enable these young men to marry, the rabbis, in essence, delay the time that the amount will be paid, when they will be more likely to have that amount. It may also be noted that both the number of dowers and modifications have the same purpose: the protection of wives if their support (whether due to death or divorce) stops. The only difference between the two systems is the time of payment.
In fact, the rabbis are very insistent on the bride who has "the benefits of the capitals that even some people describe marriage without someone who is merely as a concubine, because the bride will lack the benefits of a financial settlement. in the case of divorce or death of the husband, and without the dowry or cloak then the number of women and children can be a burden for the community. However, the husband may refuse to pay the amount of the tense if the divorce is due to wife's adultery.
In traditional Jewish marriages, to this day, the bridegroom gives the bride a precious object, such as a wedding ring. The ring must have a certain minimum value, and it is considered as a way to meet the halakhic legal requirements of the husband who made the payment to or for the bride.
Ancient Greek
Some of the maritime settlements mentioned in the Iliad and Odyssey show that the bride price is a habit of the Homer community. The language used for various marriage transactions, however, can blur the difference between bride price and dowry, and a third practice called "indirect dowry," in which the groom hands over the property to the bride who is then used to build new households. The "Homer Society" is a fictional construction involving legendary figures and gods, although it depicts the historical habits of various times and places in the Greek world. By the time the Homer epic was formed, "primitive" practices such as the price of the bride and polygamy were no longer part of Greek society. The title of them preserves, if they have a historical basis, the customs of the Migration Age (c. 1200-1000 BC) and the next two centuries.
In Iliad , Agamemnon promises Achilles that he can take the bride without paying the bride price (Greek hednon ), instead of receiving the dowry (pherne ). In Odyssey, the least debatable reference to the price of the bride is in a marriage settlement for Ctimene, the sister of Odysseus; Pero, the daughter of Neleus, who demanded cattle for her; and the goddess Aphrodite himself, whose husband Hephaestus threatened to make his father Zeus return the price of the bride given to him, because he was committing adultery. It is possible that Homer's "bridal price" is part of a reciprocal gift exchange between a husband and a bride's father, but while gift exchange is a fundamental practice of friendship and aristocratic hospitality, it is rare, if at all, in relation to marriage arrangements.
Islamic Law
Islamic law orders a bridegroom to give gifts to the bride called Mahr before the consummation of marriage. A mahr is different from the meaning of the price-bridal standard in that it is not for the bride's family, but for the wife to keep for herself; thus more precisely described as a dowry. In the Qur'an, mentioned in chapter 4, An-Nisa, verse 4 as follows:
And give it to the women (whom you marry) Mahr [the compulsory bride money given by husband to his wife at the time of marriage] with a good heart; but if they, with their own pleasure, surrender any part to you, take it and enjoy it without fear of danger (as God has made it lawful).
Islamic law considers it illegal for a husband, a bridegroom or a bride's family to take a bride without a deliberate decision.
Morning gifts
The morning prize, which may be arranged by the bride's father rather than the bride, is given to the bride herself. The name is derived from the custom of the German tribe giving them the morning after the wedding night. The woman probably controlled this morning's gift during her husband's life, but was entitled to it when the widow. If the amount of inheritance is settled by law rather than the treaty, it can be called a dower. Depending on the right legal and regulatory system, he may not be entitled to dispose of him after his death, and may lose property if he remarries. The morning gifts are preserved for centuries in a morganic marriage, a union in which the wife's inferior social status is held to forbid her children to inherit a noble title or land. In this case, the morning gift will support the wife and children. Other legal provisions for widow is a combination, in which the property, often land, will be held in a joint rental, so it will automatically go to the widow for the death of her husband.
Today
Africa
In some parts of Africa, traditional wedding ceremonies depend on legitimate bride price payments. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the price of the bride must be paid first so that couples get permission to marry in church or in other civil ceremonies, or marriage is not considered valid by the family of the bride. The amount can vary from tokens to large quantities, real estate, and other values. Lobolo (or Lobola, sometimes also known as Roora) is the same tradition in most cultures in South Africa Shona, Venda, Zulu, Ndebele, etc. This number includes several herds of cattle, goats, and some money depending on the family. Cattle and goats are an integral part of traditional marriage for ceremonial purposes during and after the original wedding ceremony.
Animals and money are not always paid at once. Depending on the wealth of the groom he and his family can enter into an unwritten contract with the bride's family similar to the Jewish Convertible, in which he promises to pay what he spends over a period of time. This is done to allow young men who do not have much to marry while they work to pay the bride price as well as raise a family or wait for their sister and aunt to marry so in turn they can use the amount received to offset their debt to their in-laws. This amount must be paid by his family if he can not afford or die. It is considered a family honor debt.
The tradition of bridal pricing can have a destructive effect when young men do not have the means to get married. In the disputed South Sudan, for example, many young men steal cattle for this reason, often risking their lives. In the mid-20th century Gabon, a person's entire life can be governed by money-related matters of marriage; to get a wife for their son, parents begin to pay installments for a girl who is only a few years old; from the side of the wife's family there began a process of extortion that lasted for many years.
In Uganda's Great Lakes Africa, the MIFUMI Project held a referendum in Tororo in 2001 on whether the bride price should be a reward that can not be returned. In 2004, he held an international conference on wedding prices in Kampala, Uganda. It brings together activists from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Nigeria, Ghana, Senegal, Rwanda and South Africa to discuss the influence of bride price payments on women. Delegates also talked about ways to eliminate this practice in Africa and elsewhere. It also issued its opening position in 2008. In 2007, MIFUMI brought the Ugandan Government to the Constitutional Court wanting the courts to decide that Bridal Pricing practices are unconstitutional. Especially the complainant, that the bridal price ever taken, should not be refunded if the couple should be divorced. But it must be considered, that MIFUMI is far to represent Ugandan women or even the whole society. The case was heard in September 2009 but lost against the Government of Uganda. Customary or customary law can not be changed by a handful of activists from international NGOs such as MIFUMI, but only from within the indigenous community. Changing customary law about the price of the bride in Uganda is difficult because it is maintained by the community, especially in rural areas that agree on its relevance. The whole culture of the Ankole Society is closely linked to the bride price institution. His habit of connecting families for a lifetime and women are proud of the very high value they receive, as compared to Baganda or Rwandans. Not infrequently, that the bridegroom should give plenty of livestock to his women as well as homes, cars, and other properties. Of course it depends on the "value" of the bride (school, degree) but also on its own possibilities. This is in accordance with the customs of the bride price in China; the rich should give - otherwise it can even be taken by the bride's family by force. On the other hand, a wealthy man marries an educated woman, who has spent millions of dollars on his education in Uganda's expensive, willing and proud system of education to "emerge" and pay. To show the whole world - and especially the whole family of the bride - who they are and what wealth they achieve. It's a matter of honor. But there are others, who take out a loan to repay within a few years, only to marry the woman they love. In other instances, people marry in old age, because they still need more time to get enough property to marry their wives officially. Customary law is also considered more than just the price of the bride but other rituals and ceremonies that enrich the culture of Uganda. Of course, in addition to constitutional changes, changes in customary law will be necessary to eliminate such practices. And customary law can not be changed by decision, but it develops alone...
In sub-Saharan Africa, family-to-family visits to negotiate bride prices are a traditional custom that many Africans regard as a marriage center and African society. The negotiations themselves have been described as an important component of the practice because they provide the bride and groom families the opportunity to meet and falsify important ties. The price itself, independent of its value, is symbolic, although the custom has also been described as "the permission to have a family in an African marriage institution". In some African cultures, the price of a bride is connected with her reputation and dignity in society (Ankole, Tooro), an aspect that has been criticized by students as degrading women. In some African cultures, such as those of Fang in Equatorial Guinea, and some areas of Uganda, prices are considered to be the "purchase price" of a wife. One point of criticism says that the husband may thus exercise economic control over him.
The majority ethnic group of Equatorial Guinea, the Fang people practice the custom of bridal pricing in a way that subjugates women who find themselves in unhappy marriages. Divorce has a social stigma between Fang, and if a woman intends to leave her husband, she is expected to return the goods that were originally paid to her family. If he can not afford to pay the debt, he can go to jail. Although women and men in theory have an equal right of inheritance, in practice men usually inherit property. This economic loss reinforces the lack of women's freedom and lower social status.
The general term for setting in southern Africa is lobolo , from the Nguni language, a term often used in central and western Africa as well. Elders take control of marriage arrangements. In South Africa, adat survives from colonial influence, but is changed by capitalism. After young men start working in mines and other colonial efforts, they gain the means to improve lobolo, directing parents to increase the value needed for lobolo to maintain their control.
Asia
West Asia
Assyrian, who is a native of West Asia, usually practices the customary wedding price ( niqda ). The tradition will involve the family of the groom paying to the bride's father. The sum of money from niqda is achieved by negotiating between groups of people from both families. The social state of the groom's family affects the number of brides that should be paid. When the matter is solved for the satisfaction of these two menages, the groom's father can kiss the bride's father's hand to express her respect and gratitude. This situation is usually filmed and included in a wedding video. Music and folk dance are accompanied after payment is made, which usually takes place at the door, before the bride leaves her home with her companion (usually a male family member who will then escort her to the church).
Central Asia
In many parts of Central Asia, bride price is expected and mandatory. The various names for it in Central Asia include Kazakh: ???????? [qal ?? mal] , Kyrgyz: ????? [q? l ???] , Uzbek: qalin [qal? n] , and Russian: ????? [k? '?? m] . It is also common in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. The price can range from a small amount of money or a piece of livestock to the number of herds, depending on local traditions and the expectations and agreements of the families involved. Tradition is upheld in Afghanistan. A "dark distortion" involves a 6-year-old girl from an Afghan refugee from Helmand Province in the Kabul refugee camp, who will marry the son of the money lender given with the girl's father $ 2500 so that the man can pay the medical bills. According to anthropologist Deniz Kandiyoti, the practice increased after the fall of the Taliban.
Thai
In Thailand, the bride price - sin sod (Thai: ??????, pronounced [s? N sÃÆ'²t] and often incorrectly referred to by the English term "dowry") is common in both Marriage Thai-Thai and Thai-foreign. The price of the bride may vary from nothing - if the woman divorces, has a son who is father of another man, or is widely known to have premarital relationships with men - up to tens of millions Thai baht (US $ 300,000 or ~ 9,567,757 THB) for women with a high social standing, a beauty queen, or a highly educated woman. The price of the bride in Thailand is paid at the engagement ceremony, and consists of three elements: cash, Thai gold (96.5 percent pure), and a newer Western tradition of diamond rings. The most common reason stated for the price of the bride in Thailand is that it allows the groom to show that he has sufficient financial resources to support the bride (and possibly his family) after the wedding. In many cases, especially when the numbers are large, the Thai bride's parents will return all or some of the bridal price to the couple in the form of a wedding gift after the engagement ceremony.
Kachin
In the Kachin community they have Mayu and Dama systems. "Mayu" means a group of people who give women and "Dama" means a group of people who take women. The "bridal wealth" system is very important for the kinship system in the Kachin community. It has been used for centuries. The purpose of providing "bridal riches" is to give honor to Mayu's wife-giver and to create strong relationships. However, not all parts of the "bridal wealth" system are the same. Maybe different from place and time. Also the purpose of using the "bride wealth" system is the same as before. In the Kachin Society, the bride's wealth should be given by the "Dama" wife-taker to the wife of "Mayu." Kachin's ancestors think if the "Dama" wife-taker brings a lot of bride price to the "Mayu" wife-giver; that means they respect the bride and her family. And also no one will look down for the groom and the bride.
China
In traditional Chinese culture, the exact date is chosen for ti qin (Simplified Chinese: traditional Chinese: ?? ; literally:" propose marriage "), where the two families will meet to discuss the bride price amount (Chinese: ?? ; pinyin: pÃÆ'¬nj? n ) demands, among other things. A few weeks before the actual marriage, the ritual guo da li (Simplified Chinese: traditional Chinese: ??? ; literally:" through the great ceremony ") takes place (on a good date). The groom and matchmaker will visit the bride's family who bring gifts such as wedding cakes, sweets and jewelry, and bridal price. On the actual wedding day, the bride's family will refund some of the bride price (sometimes in dowry form) as a gesture of goodwill.
The price of the bride varies from CNÃ, Â ¥ 1,000,000 in Shanghai which is famously money-centric to as small as CNÃ, Â ¥ 10,000. Also often necessary along with the usual house bridal price (the apartment is acceptable, but the rent is not) and the car, both the dollar values ​​are calculated against the price of the bride itself. In some areas, the bride's family may demand another type of gift, nothing counts against the bride price itself. May 18th is a very lucrative day to pay the bride's price and get married because her Chinese words are similar to "I'll be rich". Bridal prices are rising rapidly in China largely without documentation but a verbal and cultural understanding is uncertain about where the current bride price is. Gender inequality in China has increased competition for higher bridal prices. Financial distress is an unacceptable and negligible justification for not paying the price of the bride. If the men disagree or pay, they or the bridegroom themselves should still pay the price of the bride so borrowing from relatives is a popular choice if it is not necessary to "save face". The inability to pay is the reason to prevent marriage that can be recommended by both parties. Personally, the family needs bridal pricing because of the lack of social safety net in China and the one-child policy that keeps parents from having pension funds or does not care if their only child is taken when the bride usually moves to the groom's residence after marriage and performs a capability test the groom to marry by paying cash and emotionally giving up his resources to the bride. In general, families quote the bride price as a support if a man leaves or divorces a wife and that the bridal price creates goodwill among families. The groom has to pay more than what the bridal party requests to "save face". The number should follow conventional red envelope conventions even though the numbers are much more important.
Changing patterns in engagement and marriage processes in some rural villages in modern China can be represented as the following stages:
- Ti qin , "" propose marriage ";
- He tian ming ???, "In accordance with the mandate of Heaven" (ie finding a ritual day full of luck);
- Jian mian ??, "look to face", ie meeting;
- Ding hun , "" engaged ";
- Yao ri zi ???, "ask the wedding date wifegivers"; and
- Jie xin ren ???, "transfer the bride".
Oceania
Papua New Guinea
Traditional marriage customs vary widely in Papua New Guinea. The most extreme is the society of moiety (or 'sister exchange'), in which a man must have a real or classy sister to be given in exchange for a wife, but is not required to pay the bridal price as understood elsewhere in the country. In other extreme areas are resource-rich areas in the Papuan Highlands of New Guinea, where locally traded valuables in the form of shells and stone axes, replaced by money and modern manufacturing (including vehicles and white goods) for centuries 20th. Very high wedding prices are now paid in the Highlands, where even ordinary villagers are expected to withdraw their relationship to pay their wife's relatives' pigs and cash up to the value between $ 5,000 and $ 10,000. Where one or both partners are university educated or well placed in business or politics, the amount paid can increase to $ 50,000 - $ 100,000 when items like new buses or Toyota 4WD are taken into account. Bridal pricing can be increased locally by mining royalties, and higher near the more affluent national capital Port Moresby.
For most couples in most provinces, however, if the price of the bride is paid, it will amount to a dozen pigs, domestic goods, and more cash.
Solomon Islands
There is a tradition of payment of bridal prices on the island of Malaita in the Solomon Islands, although the wedding payment is not a tradition on other islands. Malaitan shell-money, produced in Langa Langa Lagoon, is a traditional currency used in Malaita and throughout the Solomon Islands. The money consists of small polished leather disks that are drilled and placed on strings. It can be used as payment for brides, funerals, and compensation, with shell money having cash equivalent value. It is also used as a symbol of jewelry and status. The standard unit, known as tafuliae , is a few strands along 1.5 m. Shell money is still produced by the Langa Langa Lagoon people, but many are inherited, from father to son, and the old traditional string is now rare.
In fiction
- The famous Telugu game Kanyasulkam (Bridal Price) insinuates the brahmin practice and ideas that keeps it alive. Although this practice no longer exists in India, drama, and film based on it, it is still very popular in Andhra Pradesh.
- The popular Mormon movie, Johnny Lingo , uses a surprising number of bridal devices in one of the most important scenes.
- Plot "Home for Highland Animals", a short story by Doris Lessing depends on whether the livestock painting is acceptable in the actual livestock for "lobola", the bride price in the South African setting.
- Nigerian author Buchi Emecheta wrote a novel titled The Bride Price (1976).
See also
- The bride's service
- Dowry
- ja: ?? - Case in Japan
- Prostitution
References
Further reading
- Hirsch, Jennifer S., Wardlow, Holly, Modern love: romantic courtship anthropology & amp; companion marriage , Macmillan, 2006. ISBNÃ, 0-472-09959-0. Cf. Chapter 1 "Love and Jewelry", with the price of the bride and groom.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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