The custom of marriage proposal and bride price in Zhanjiang

The next step is to choose a date and send a bride price. Choosing a date is also called choosing a date, which means choosing an auspicious day to get married. Generally speaking, fortune tellers are also asked to choose dates by reading the "general book" (calendar) in order to pray for auspicious days. Giving a bride price means that the man sends the bride price to the woman's house, commonly known as "bride price". In the past, there were certain procedures for Zhanjiang people to send bride price. It is necessary to write a "general's name card" and a "ceremony card" in red paper, with the words "Fuguijin" written on the front and "My brother-in-law xxx bowing" written on the back. The latter publishes the gift catalogue and the gift amount. Generally, the bride price includes chicken (female or male), pork leg, betel nut and gift cake, all of which are even numbers, meaning men, and they are given by my brother-in-law. Therefore, there is a saying in Zhanjiang that doing good for others is called "being a teacher and uncle". After receiving the gift money, the woman needs to "re-employ", which is commonly known as "counter-offer", and also issue "generic stickers" and "eye stickers". Generally, the man returns some gifts, and the prepared gifts are added. Among them, rice flour wrapped in red paper is essential for making "Zhuangyuan cake", which is intended to have children in the future. The Wedding Day Post has a list of future dowries. With the development of society, the content of bride price is constantly changing. Two jobs have been cancelled in most places, and the most popular betel nut is no longer distributed. In 1950s and 1960s, the bride price was mostly money, cloth, clothes, sweets and cakes, and fruits. "Three turns and one ring" (bicycles, sewing machines, watches, radios) appeared in the 1970s. In the 1980s, it became money and advanced electrical appliances, such as color TV sets, refrigerators and washing machines. Gold rings and necklaces have been very popular since the 1990s. In the past, the bride price was generally reserved for the woman's parents. Except for the bride price, these bride prices are almost always used by the woman when she gets married. When the bride's family receives the betrothal gift, they will give some gifts to relatives, friends and neighbors, such as candy and biscuits, to inform their daughter that she is going to get married. Nowadays, many young people change their customs, do not pay attention to bride price, and only send some gifts symbolically to their wives' homes, but they are still inseparable from the custom of giving bride price.