Today, the long tradition of leaving the dowry for the bride is not fully preserved. Many are not afraid of the lack of a dowry, and some do not even think about such a phenomenon, considering it a relic of the past. The tradition is being transformed and takes on a different expression.
A modern expression of tradition
Nowadays, if a traditional dowry is "given" for a bride, it usually consists of the most necessary items. Newlyweds in most cases begin a life together separately from their parents, they lack simple, but necessary things for ordinary life. Therefore, the dowry should, if possible, satisfy the need for such things, imperceptibly making life more comfortable and arranged.
In the first time of life together, young people will often receive guests, so it is good for the bride to have a beautiful tablecloth and a set of napkins in advance. This will create the necessary coziness even in a cramped kitchen, if the young family has not yet acquired their own living room with a large table.
Obviously, utensils are also needed to receive guests. It should be a good set of cutlery (often brides inherit it from their grandmothers), plates, pots and pans, glass and crystal dishes, mugs, etc. The point is not that a young wife should get used to working in the kitchen from the very beginning of life together, but that in the first months the newlyweds will constantly lack basic things to receive guests.
Traditionally, the dowry included bedding - sheets, duvet covers, pillowcases. It is reasonable to preserve this custom even now. Nowadays, the choice of bedding sets is so great and varied that you can choose the most suitable one both in appearance and in price.
Of course, today all kinds of devices are often left as a dowry: household appliances (refrigerator, stove, microwave oven, iron, washing machine, TV, dishwasher, etc.), computers, telephones, etc. These things that perform a specific function will easily take their place in the emerging everyday life.
Finally, as in ancient times, a monetary dowry can be left for the bride. The benefits and convenience of this are obvious - young people will be able to independently dispose of their funds and decide what they need first.
Features of drawing up a dowry
Perhaps a modern dowry should be, first of all, unusual or unique. It is unlikely that young people will be truly delighted or reassured and comforted by the presence of a huge amount of household appliances. Moreover, very often newlyweds receive as a gift from friends and family those things that they already have. And the life of a new family begins with two refrigerators and identical TVs. To avoid repetition, items for the dowry should be selected very carefully and responsibly. Some of them can be made by hand (for example, towels and napkins). The main purpose of the dowry is not to fill life after the wedding with banal objects, but to brighten up the first months of life together and help avoid the most simple everyday problems.
