My Chinese Bridal Dowry
The bride's family prepares the Bridal Dowry and give a list of the dowry items to the groom's family. The dowry is mostly composed of daily necessities for the new home, such as bedding, linen and dining set, etc. Traditionally, girls start learning needle work at young age, and prepare plenty of shoes, socks, table cloth etc, as part of her dowry. This is also an opportunity for the bride's family to display their love for their daughter as well as their wealth.
The dowry typically include personal items for the bride and symbolic household items for the couple’s new home, such as:
- tea set for the wedding tea ceremony,
- beddings, pillows, bolsters, comforter set, blankets, bed sheets, etc., tied with red ribbons,
- baby bathtub, potty, face washbasin, in red and with wedding designs,
- toothpaste and toothbrushes, tumblers, mirror, comb,
- sewing basket with even numbered rolls of colourful thread, needles, pincushion, scissors, and sewing wax with auspicious words on it,
- new clothing in a suitcase for the bride,
- two pairs of red wooden clogs or bedroom
- slippers,
- a pair of red chopsticks,
- gold jewellery from the bride’s parents or owned by the bride (sometimes this is only brought over on wedding day).
The Chinese wedding tea set is a meaningful keepsake of the wedding. The tea set in the bride's dowry is used for the tea ceremony when the bride is formally introduced to the groom's family. The bride will use it again when her own daughter gets married in the future.
Beddings
The bride’s parents will provide a new set of bedsheet for the couple to “install the bridal bed”. Small item including toiletries such as comb and mirror, toothpaste and toothbrushes, tumblers, perfume and lotions, are also packaged with little red or pink ribbons and delivered to the groom’s home as part of the chinese dowry.
Baby bathtubs (Bucketloads of off-springs)
A set of baby bathtubs, buckets, face washbasin, in red and with chinese wedding designs and the famous chinese spittoon (literally collectively referred to "buckets of off-spring" as 子孙桶) is included in the dowry. This is because in the past when women gave birth at home, these bathtubs and buckets were necessary items to be used for childbirth.
Sewing Basket & scissors
A simple sewing basket is included in the dowry. This is usually a double happiness sewing basket with even numbered rolls of colourful thread, needles, pincushion, scissors, and sewing wax with auspicious words on it. The most common dowries included scissors like two butterflies never separating; the scissors are also symbolic of the bride severing her ties with her family.
Chopsticks & ruler
A pair of chopsticks is also included to wish the couple many off-springs (the word for chopsticks sounds like "fast boy" and is a wish for sons). Rulers indicate “acres of fields” for wealth.
Red wooden clogs
In the olden days, these were worn as wedding shoes and traditionally a pair of red wooden clogs or wedding slippers are included as part of the chinese dowry. These days they are usually replaced with bedroom slippers.
Gold jewellery
Gold jewellery given by the bride’s parents or owned by the bride may be included as part of the bridal dowry.
