Dowry and bride price must be provided by the family of the bride! The old high German word gift for gift, is called giving the word dowry. So it has nothing to do with a Toxikum. The dowry should bring a bride in the marriage. This called also dowry gifts can include various goods. The dowry, things that need young spouses and allow a stand-alone House stand included in Western regions. Crockery, cutlery, bed linen or table linens, but also goods, such as candle holders might be. High-quality silver jewelry or gold jewelry is given in the Orient of the bride in the marriage.
This remains their property even after a separation or the death of her husband. In some cultures, daughters when you inherit are excluded. Then the dowry can be considered also early heritage. Until the 20th century, it was customary to give young girls, the dowry, over the years, to the birthday. These were mostly in chests stored, so that the girl up to the wedding with everything necessary were equipped. After the second world war, with the emancipation of women, this tradition lost but increasingly in importance. In some regions, the dowry is not the young married people good, but remains with the parents of the bride.
This is less a dowry, as much more a bride price. Often, the social position of the future husband was decisive for the amount of the dowry or bride price. So, it was almost impossible to marry in more upscale stands for women of lower layers. But also in the companies themselves, this led to problems. To raise the dowry or bride price, many families had to borrow up. So increased to have many daughters, the risk of poverty. This meant that were aborted female fetuses or even female babies killed. In poorer countries, in the lower layers, this behaviour is true also today still partially. The ratio of men and women developed demographically unfavorable. In Europe, the dowry is regarded as antiquated. She plays a large role but in the law of succession. The dowry is regarded as a donation and will be compensated in the event of death of the parents, the co-heirs. This applies both for silver jewelry pendant, as well as to bedsheets.