Bride price

An essential element of marriage is the payment of a “bride price” by the groom to his wife’s parents or clan. The bride price was paid in money, goods, or cattle or in labor and was often seen as compensation to the kin group for the loss of the young woman to another group.

To the outsider, the payment of a bride price or bride wealth might appear to be a form of purchase.

This is the property paid by the bridegroom to the parents or relatives of the bride, known as ‘yarad’ in Somali. The amount of bride price to be paid usually depends upon the extent of the wealth possessed by the bridegroom.

In Angola, it is the practice whereby the groom and his family provide gifts to the bride’s family. Usually the gifts consist of clothing, livestock like cattle and goats, food items like grain and other items.

In Indonesia society, divorce can be obtained, and if the fault lies with man, he loses the bride price paid to the family. If the fault is on the woman’s part, the bride price is repaid.
Bride price