A dowry payment is a transfer of wealth from the bride or her family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. It can take the form of money, property, or valuable items. The custom of dowry is an ancient one that is still practiced in many countries and communities around the world. Originally, dowries were paid to the bride or the brides family, not the other way around. The original purpose of a dowry was to compensate the bride’s family for the loss of her labor and her reproductive potential. However, somewhere before the start of the Ancient Roman period, the custom became reversed, so that the brides family had to give a dowry to the husband’s kin.

The custom of crafting and giving dowries has held strong throughout the centuries. Crafting a dowry was often an activity that all women in a family group partook in, starting from when a girl was born in anticipation of her wedding. Young girls learned to weave at a young age, as well as stitching and embroidery, enabling them to start work on their dowry in their teen years.

Dowries continue to be expected and demanded as a condition to accept a marriage proposal in some parts of the world, mainly in parts of Asia. The custom of dowry is most common in strongly patrilineal cultures that expect women to reside with or near their husbands family (patrilocality) . In India, the dowry puts great financial strain on the brides family, and payment of dowry is now prohibited under the law.

In summary, a dowry payment is a transfer of wealth from the bride or her family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. The custom of dowry is an ancient one that is still practiced in many countries and communities around the world.