The Liberated Female by Ivan Volgyes

Author:Ivan Volgyes [Volgyes, Ivan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Gender Studies
ISBN: 9781000302974
Google: pRGjDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2019-07-16T03:46:37+00:00

As the material welfare of society and its members improved, the concept of dowry reappeared. In 1974, upon the announcement of the engagement of two young people, the boy's father—a fairly well-to-do man by Hungarian standards-informed the bride-to-be's father: "We're giving 50,000 forints for the marriage. What can you give?" When the girls's father, who had no means whatsoever, stated that he could give nothing, the father of the groom informed him coldly: "Well, we have nothing to discuss then. . . ."

Dowry in Hungary today ranges from minimal objects, such as sheets, pots, and pans, to luxuriously furnished apartments and houses. A private store owner who is also in the plumbing business gave a three-and-a-half bedroom, split-level, completely furnished modern apartment, mortgage-free to his daughter. The estimated value of the dowry was nearly 2 million forints. In the villages, the concept of a dowry is even more common; the amount that people give varies greatly. In rich villages, it is perfectly normal for the more well-to-do residents to have a house and a car waiting for the young people after the wedding. Such statements as "We're getting married just as soon as the house is ready for us to move in" are not infrequent in Hungary today. The attitude of parents was best expressed by a peasant woman who considered it her duty to build a house for her children so that "they each can live in their own house. If we cannot assure their future, it is irresponsible to bring them to this world. What for? So they should live in need? So they earn their bread elsewhere, live in strange places, and live in rented apartments?"2

Even poorer families have their own share of dowry contributions. P.L., a peasant of medium income in a village in eastern Hungary, talked about his gift to his daughter and her new husband:

We gave as much as we could to Anna. A pig to fatten, several young sows, ten geese, hens, and the like. Bought them a brand new feather tick and bed and the wife got them some nice new sheets. I gave the girl a golden ring, and for the first born, we will buy the cradle. We're getting them a washing machine when a baby comes and help provide the labor for building the new house, along with the other in-laws. But they just cannot come and live with us; there are still five of us in a two-room house. The in-laws' house is bigger, and they will just have to live with them until they move into their own. . . . It's still more than a year though. . . .

A special type of dowry that exists nearly universally is the money that comes from the "bride's dance." Specifically at village weddings or at weddings held according to revived folk-customs, the bride dances with the guests at the wedding who "pay" for the privilege of dancing with her. Either a hat or a small woven basket covered

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