About two to three months before the actual wedding, the groom will go to the bride’s home to present the betrothal gifts. This ceremony serves as the groom’s formal proposal to the bride’s parents. The gifts that the groom presents to the bride and her parents symbolize prosperity and good fortune. Alongside the gifts, the groom also gives the bride price, a payment by the groom and his family to the bride’s parents that is handed in a red envelope. Upon receiving the gifts, the bride’s parents formally accept the proposal and agree to leave their daughter in the groom’s care. During this ceremony, the bride’s parents also bestow a dowry to the bride which means that she is given property from her parents to start her new life as a married woman. Finally, the bride’s family give “return gifts”, a gesture that says they wish to maintain a good relationship with the groom’s family.