The mutual promise of two people to marry, is called an engagement. With an engagement, the couple testifies to their desire to marry. It does not matter whether the partners are the same. The ritual of proposing is an ancient tradition that has been practised for several hundred years. In the past, it was common for the future husband to negotiate the terms of marriage with the bride’s father. If both agreed, the groom handed over the so-called marriage dowry to the bride’s father in ancient Germania (until around 300 BC) – a kind of down payment. This was considered an official engagement. Later the reverse exchange of goods became common, the bride and her family brought in the marriage dowry.
