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Engagement History and Customs

The custom of giving a ring to signify a betrothal is ancient, believed to have been widespread in Ancient Greece where rings were also given as a token of affection and friendship.

Pliny wrote about iron rings being sent as pledges to the bride in 1st century Rome. Roman law considered betrothal to be an important contract of future marriage with the sending of the iron betrothal ring (called the annulus pronobus) being a significant gesture to mark the promise. The hardness of the iron demonstrated the intended length of the commitment whilst also representing strength and permanence.

A very dramatic engagement gesture, though no longer practised widely in the modern day, was for a Filipino man to throw a spear into the front steps of his betrothed's home, indicating to everyone that the young girl who lived there had been spoken for.

In China, a traditional engagement gift is a whole roast pig, presented by the groom's family to that of the bride.