Engagement ceremony, Dowry, Henna… The path to marriage in the Middle Eastern culture is not an ordinary event like in many other cultures, only with an exception: There are dozens of rituals or ceremonies that require the bride and the groom to go through long before the wedding ceremony itself. This sweet excitement or the rush is believed to add flavor to the path to marriage at the same time.
What is Dowry?
Dowry is only one of the rituals, which I believe is both a material and spiritual process that spans a long time. Dowry is a combination of things needed for every house on the materialistic part. While dowries could include precious jewels or even property for some cultures in the past; nowadays, it usually includes basic kitchen utensils such as knife fork spoon sets or home textiles such as towels and mattresses or other home furnishings.
What Should Be Included In Dowry?
Traditionally, parents start dowry since the bride's childhood, hoping for the best marriage for their beloved daughters. They start to make collections of hand-made items and other textile embroidered diligently with beautiful figures.
Shopping for a kitchen utensil, such as glassware or dinnerware, comes later. Choosing the best of every item is important for couples when it comes to this part. The best quality stainless steel knife fork spoon set, for example, is an indispensable item for every Middle Eastern family who is known for their great hospitality. Hosting guests for dinners with shiny and elegant kitchen utensils is as necessary as the meal itself for the families to show their hospitality.
I believe every man and woman thinking to form a family deserves the best of every utensil for their home. From the most elegant glassware to the fanciest tea cups and saucers, every detail matters to Middle Eastern culture.
Gifts for Dowry
Dowry doesn't end until the wedding ceremony as it is intended by dowry to help set up the couple's new house requirements from the minor to the most wanted item. Therefore, friends and other visitors keep on bringing fancy gifts after the honeymoon when they visit the newlyweds for the first time in their new house.
To me, dowry has a spiritual meaning, too, as I stated at the beginning. In dowry, the couples are gradually prepared for the marriage and come to understand the meaning of being a family. Thus, helping the bride and the groom even in the form of guidance for the new couple, who are on their way to a holy event, is an extremely important favor. This can be in the form of a simple gift or the best wish, too. You never know what they need. Sometimes a cute coffee & tea canister set might be what they have forgotten to buy. Or you might consider gifting them an Evil Eye object, which will protect the newlyweds from bad spirits and comfort their worries towards haters.