Bride price is the money paid by the husband (groom) to be, to the girl's family before marriage proper. Usually people mistake bride price with dowry.
Dowry is the wealth that a girl (the bride) possesses while living with her parents, and she takes it along after her bride price has been paid.
Traditionally or morally it becomes theirs(the couple's) wealth.
During the days of old, it was easy and fun to get married, though the bride price was cheap(compared to to this present time) but the money wasn't easy to afford.
Then marriage was a thing of joy and people grace the occasion with alacrity. Expenses usually lies on buying wrappers, palm wine, tubers of yam, food stuffs, the bride and groom's parents attire and the rest of it. Despite all these people still finds it easy to marry.
Family bonds are strengthened, there's unity, cooperation during farming season, more especially during the season for harvesting yam, there's usually enough to eat, give to in-laws and to sell.
Though there were challenges and difficult times but things were settled without sentiment, love and respect are returned to both families. There are some cases too when misunderstanding can not be resolved which eventually leads to divorce, but not occasional. Above all marriage was cherished, hunoured and fun.
Today bride price is like an investment or should I say a revenge for what has been spent on the girl.
Recently a man was caught on a robbery act, when he was asked why he went into robbery, he said he was asked to pay the sum of three hundred thousand naira (N300,000) by his in-laws for his wife to be, bride price. Apart from this, list of things to buy will also be given.
a typical list of things to buy
At a time, I do ask men who are planning of getting married, after paying all these will there still be something left to eat after the wedding??
They'd just smile and say God is in control.
These has brought a lot of delay for youths, more especially the guys to settle down, after considering the whole payment, there won't be another choice than to continue being a bachelor.
Mothers and Fathers, marriage is a thing of maturity, self control and tolerance with a satisfactory earning that can sustain the family and not a thing of having a lot of money.
Bride price is not a revenge for what has been done for the girl child. It should be moderate for both the lower and upper class to afford. Also the list of things to buy should be moderate so that it can be affordable.
Her education is for her own good and that of her new family. And not an investment to recover half of what has been spent.
* LETS BE CONSIDERATE!*
Image source: Google.com
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