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A gift or a present is the transfer of something, without the need for compensation that is involved in trade
Trade

Tradeis the willing exchange of goods, Service , or both. Trade is also called commerce. A mechanism that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter , the direct exchange of goods and services....
. A gift is a voluntary act which does not require anything in return.






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Love Gift Calyx Krater Aegisthos Painter Ca 460 Bce
A gift or a present is the transfer of something, without the need for compensation that is involved in trade
Trade

Tradeis the willing exchange of goods, Service , or both. Trade is also called commerce. A mechanism that allows trade is called a market. The original form of trade was barter , the direct exchange of goods and services....
. A gift is a voluntary act which does not require anything in return. Even though it involves possibly a social expectation of reciprocity, or a return in the form of prestige or power, a gift is meant to be free.

In many human societies, the act of mutually exchanging money
Money

Money is anything that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts. The main uses of money are as a medium of exchange, a unit of account, and a store of value....
, goods
Property

Property is any physical or virtual entity that is ownership by an individual or jointly by a group of individuals. An owner of property has the right to consumption, sell, Renting, mortgage, transfer and exchange his or her property....
, etc. may contribute to social cohesion. Economists have elaborated the economics
Economics

File:Ballard Farmers' Market - vegetables.jpgEconomics is the Social sciences that studies the Production theory basics, Distribution , and Consumption of Good and Service ....
 of gift-giving into the notion of a gift economy
Gift economy

In the social sciences, a gift economy is a society where valuable goods and services are regularly given without any explicit agreement for immediate or future rewards ....
.

By extension the term gift can refer to anything that makes the other happier
Happiness

Happiness is a state of mind or feeling such as contentment, satisfaction, pleasure, or joy. A variety of Philosophy, Religion, Psychology and Biology approaches have been taken to defining happiness and identifying its sources....
 or less sad, especially as a favour, including forgiveness
Forgiveness

Forgiveness is typically defined as the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offense, difference or mistake, and ceasing to demand punishment or restitution....
 and kindness
Kindness

Kindness is the act or the state of being kind and marked by charity behaviour, marked by mild disposition, pleasantness, tenderness and concern for others....
.

Presentation

Gifts Xmas
When material objects are given as gifts, in many cultures they are traditionally packaged in some manner. For example, in Western culture, gifts are often wrapped in wrapping paper
Wrapping Paper

"Wrapping Paper" is a song written by Jack Bruce and Pete Brown, performed by Cream and originally released as a single in 1966. It is featured on The Very Best of Cream....
 and accompanied by a gift note which may note the occasion, the giftee's name, and the giver's name. In Chinese culture, red wrapping connotes luck.

Occasions


The occasion may be:
  • Expression of love
    Love

    Love is any of a number of emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong affection and attachment . The word wikt:en:love can refer to a variety of different feelings, states, and attitudes, ranging from generic pleasure to intense interpersonal attraction....
     or friendship
    Friendship

    Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behavior between two or more people. In this sense, the term connotes a Interpersonal relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, and affection and respect along with a degree of rendering service to friends in times of need or crisis....
  • Expression of gratitude
    Gratitude

    Gratitude, thankfulness, or appreciation is a positive emotion or attitude in acknowledgment of a benefit that one has received or will receive....
     for a gift received
  • Expression of piety
    Piety

    In spiritual terminology, piety is a virtue. While different people may understand its meaning differently, it is generally used to refer either to religion or to spirituality, or often, a combination of both....
    , in the form of charity
    Alms

    Alms or almsgiving exists in a number of religions. In general, it involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue....
  • Expression of solidarity
    Solidarity (sociology)

    Social solidarity refers to the integration, and degree and type of integration, shown by a society or group. It refers to the ties in a society - social relations - that bind people to one another....
    , in the form of mutual aid
    Mutual aid

    'Mutual aid' may refer to:*Mutual aid , a tenet of anarchist thought*Mutual aid , an agreement between emergency responders*...
  • To share wealth
  • To offset misfortune
  • Offering travel souvenir
    Souvenir

    A souvenir , memento or keepsake is an object a traveler brings home for the memory associated with it. Souvenirs include clothing such as T-shirts or hats, postcards, refrigerator magnets, miniature figures, household items such as mugs and Bowl , ashtrays, egg timers, spoons, notebook, and many others....
    s
  • Custom, on occasions (often celebrations) such as
    • A birthday
      Birthday

      Birthday is the name given to the date of the anniversary of the day of a person's birth. People in many cultures celebrate this anniversary. In some languages, the word for birthday literally translates as "anniversary"....
       (the person who has his or her birthday gives cake
      Cake

      Cake is a form of food that is usually sweet and often Baking. Cakes normally combine some kind of flour, a sweetener , a binding agent , fats , a liquid , flavoring and some form of leavening agent , though many cakes lack these ingredients and instead rely on air bubbles in the dough to expand and cause the cake to rise....
      , etc. and/or receives gifts) This is most commonly from a family member or girlfriend
      Girlfriend

      Girlfriend is a terminology that can refer to either a female partner in a non-marriage romantic love or a female non-intimate friend.The term is most commonly used to describe any female person who is in a romantic relationship with another person....
      /boyfriend
      Boyfriend

      Boyfriend is a person's regular male companion in a Romance or sexual relationship, which falls short of a long-term committed relationship. On the other hand, the term "boy friend" can refer to a male non-romantic and non-sexual friend....
      .
    • A potlatch
      Potlatch

      A potlatch is a festival ceremony practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast in North America, along Pacific Northwest coast of the United States and the Canada province of British Columbia....
      , in societies where status is associated with gift-giving rather than acquisition.
    • Christmas
      Christmas

      Christmas , also referred to as Christmas Day, is an annual holiday celebrated on December 25 that commemorates the birth of Jesus. The day marks the beginning of the larger season of Christmastide, which lasts Twelve Days of Christmas....
       (people give each other gifts, often supposedly receiving them from Santa Claus
      Santa Claus

      Santa Claus is a folklore figure in various cultures who distributes gifts to children, normally on Christmas Eve. Each name is a variation of Saint Nicholas, but refers to Santa Claus....
      )
    • Saint Nicholas
      Saint Nicholas

      Saint Nicholas is the common name for Nicholas of Myra, a saint and Bishop of Myra . Because of the many miracles attributed to his intercession, he is also known as Nicholas the Wonderworker....
       (people give each other gifts, often supposedly receiving them from Saint Nicholas)
    • A wedding
      Wedding

      File:Pimenov SvadbaOnTomorrowStreet.jpgA wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, country, and social classes....
       (the couple receives gifts and gives food
      Food

      Food is any substance, usually composed of carbohydrates, fats, proteins and water, that can be Eating or Drinking by an animal or human for nutrition or pleasure....
       and/or drink
      Drink

      A drink, or beverage, is a liquid specifically prepared for human consumption. In addition to basic needs, beverages form part of the culture of human society....
      s at the wedding reception
      Wedding reception

      A wedding reception is a party held after the completion of a marriage ceremony. It is held as hospitality for those who attended the wedding, hence the name reception: the couple receives society, in the form of family and friends, for the first time as a married pair....
      )
    • A wedding anniversary
      Wedding anniversary

      A wedding anniversary is the anniversary of the date on which a wedding took place. Married persons may mark the anniversary date of their marriage in special ways....
       (each spouse receives gifts)
    • A funeral
      Funeral

      A funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honour....
       (visitors bring flowers, the relatives of the deceased give food and/or drinks after the ceremonial part)
    • A birth
      Childbirth

      Childbirth is the culmination of a human pregnancy or gestation period with the delivery of one or more newborn infants from a woman's uterus. The process of normal human childbirth is categorized in three stages of labour: the shortening and dilation of the cervix, descent and delivery of the infant, and delivery of the placenta.....
       (the baby receives gifts, or the mother receives a gift from the father known as a push present
      Push present

      A push present is a gift a new father gives a new mother when she gives birth to their child. In practice the present may be given before or after the birth, or even in the delivery room....
      )
    • Passing an examination
      Examination

      To examine somebody or something is to inspect it closely; hence, an examination is a detailed inspection or analysis of an object or person....
       (the student
      Student

      The word student is etymology derived through Middle English from the Latin Latin conjugation#Principal parts for the active voice Grammatical conjugation verb "studere", Meaning "to direct one's zeal at"; hence a student could be described as 'one who directs zeal at a subject'....
       receives gifts)
    • Father's Day
      Father's Day

      Father's Day is a day honoring fathers, celebrated on various days in many places around the world. It complements Mother's Day, the celebration honouring mothers....
       (the father
      Father

      The father is defined as the male parent of an offspring. The adjective "paternal" refers to father, parallel to "maternal" for mother.According to the anthropologist Maurice Godelier, the parental role assumed by human males is a critical difference between human society and that of humans' closest biological relatives - chimpanzees and b...
       receives gifts)
    • Mother's Day
      Mother's Day

      Mother's Day was created as a day for each family to honor their mother, celebrated on various days in many places around the world. It complements Father's Day, the celebration honoring fathers....
       (the mother
      Mother

      A mother is a biological and/or Maternal bond female parent of an offspring. Because of the complexity and differences of the social, cultural, and religious definitions and roles, it is challenging to define a mother in a universally accepted definition....
       receives gifts)
    • Exchange of gifts between a guest and a host, often a traditional practice
    • Lagniappe
      Lagniappe

      Lagniappe refers to a small gift given to a customer by a merchant at the time of a purchase , or more broadly, "something given or obtained gratuitously or by way of good measure." The word is used in Trinidad and Tobago, Puerto Rico, Louisiana, Kiamichi Country, South Arkansas, Charleston County, South Carolina, southern and western Mississ...


Legal aspects of gifts


At common law
Common law

Common law refers to law and the corresponding Legal systems of the world developed through legal opinion of courts and similar tribunals , rather than through statute law or Executive ....
, for a gift to have legal effect, it was required that there be (1) intent by the donor to give a gift, and (2) delivery to the donee of the item to be given as a gift. In some countries, certain types of gifts above a certain monetary amount are subject to taxation.

Gifts may also be from a wealthy person, hoping that someone will reflect their largess.

Religious views

Ritual sacrifice
Sacrifice

Sacrifice is commonly known as the practice of offering food, objects , or the lives of animals or people to the deity as an act of propitiation or worship....
s can be seen as return gifts to a deity
Deity

A deity is a postulated preternatural or supernatural immortal being, who may be thought of as holy, divinity, or sacred, held in high regard, and respected by human beings....
.

Lewis Hyde
Lewis Hyde

Lewis Hyde is a scholar and writer whose scholarly work focuses on the nature of imagination, creativity, and property.Hyde received an M.A. in comparative literature from the University of Iowa and a B.A....
 remarks in The Gift that Christianity
Christianity

Christianity is a Monotheistic religion #Christian view religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus as New Testament view on Jesus' life....
 considers the Incarnation and subsequent death of Jesus
Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , also known as Jesus Christ, is the central figure of Christianity and is revered by most Christian churches as the Son of God and the Incarnation ....
 to be a "gift" to humankind, and that the Jataka
Jataka

The Jataka Tales also known in other languages refer to a voluminous body of folklore-like literature native to India concerning the previous births of the Gotama Buddha....
 contains a tale of the Buddha
Gautama Buddha

Siddhartha Gautama was a Spirituality teacher in the northern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism. He is generally seen by Buddhists as the Supreme Buddhahood of our age....
 in his incarnation as the Wise Hare giving the ultimate alms
Alms

Alms or almsgiving exists in a number of religions. In general, it involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue....
 by offering himself up as a meal for Sakka. (Hyde, 1983, 58-60)

In the Eastern Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian communion in the world with an estimated 225 million members worldwide. It is considered by its adherents to be the Four Marks of the Church established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles nearly 2000 years ago....
 the bread and wine that are consecrated during the Divine Liturgy
Divine Liturgy

The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine church tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodoxy and Eastern Catholic Churches....
 are referred to as "the Gifts". They are first of all the gifts of the community (both individually and corporately) to God, and then, after the epiklesis, the Gifts of the Body
Body of Christ

Body of Christ is a term of Christian theology, implicitly traceable to Jesus's statement at the Last Supper that "This is my body" in , and explicitly used by the Apostle Paul of Tarsus in ....
 and Blood
Blood of Christ

The Blood of Christ in Christian theology refers to the physical blood actually shed by Jesus Christ on the Christian Cross, and the salvation which Christianity teaches was accomplished thereby; and the Eucharistic blood used at Holy Communion, under species of wine....
 of Christ
Christ

Christ is the English language term for the Greek meaning "the anointing", which is a title given to the Reigning Messiah in the given age of the Zodiac....
 to the Church.

See also

  • Alms
    Alms

    Alms or almsgiving exists in a number of religions. In general, it involves giving materially to another as an act of religious virtue....
  • Altruism
    Altruism

    Altruism is the deliberate pursuit of the interests or welfare of others or the public interest....
  • Atonement
    Atonement

    The atonement is a doctrine found within both Christianity and Judaism. It describes how sin can be forgiven by God. In Judaism, Atonement is said to be the process of forgiving or pardoning a transgression....
  • Charity (practice)
    Charity (practice)

    Sorry, no overview for this topic
  • Debt relief
    Debt relief

    Debt relief is the partial or total forgiveness of debt, or the slowing or stopping of debt growth, owed by individuals, corporations, or nations....
  • Gift (law)
    Gift (law)

    A gift, in the law of property, has a very specific meaning. In order for a gift to be legally effective, the grantor must have intended to give the gift to the grantee....
  • Gift tax
    Gift tax

    A gift tax is a tax imposed on the Gift of ownership of property.When a taxable gift is made the tax is usually imposed on the donor unless there is a retention of an interest which delays completion of the gift....
  • Gift wrapping
    Gift wrapping

    Gift wrapping refers to the act of enclosing a gift in some sort of material. Wrapping paper is a kind of paper designed for gift wrapping....
  • Giving Circles
    Giving Circles

    Giving Circles are a form of philanthropy consisting of groups of individuals who pool their funds and other resources to donate to their communities and seek to increase their awareness and engagement in the process of giving....
  • Random act of kindness
    Random act of kindness

    A random act of kindness is a selfless act performed by a person or persons wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual or in some cases an animal....
  • Red packet
  • Regiving
    Regiving

    Regiving is the practice of giving away a received gift to another party; also known as regifting.Regiving differs from straightforward giving in that goods are not acquired specifically for donation....
  • Xenia (Greek)
    Xenia (Greek)

    Xenia is the Greeks concept of hospitality, or generosity and courtesy shown to those who are far from home. It is often translated as "guest-friendship" because the rituals of hospitality created and expressed a reciprocal relationship between guest and host....


Further reading

  • Marcel Mauss
    Marcel Mauss

    Marcel Mauss was a France sociologist....
     and W.D. Halls, Gift: The Form and Reason for Exchange in Archaic Societies, W. W. Norton, 2000, trade paperback, ISBN 0-393-32043-X
  • Lewis Hyde
    Lewis Hyde

    Lewis Hyde is a scholar and writer whose scholarly work focuses on the nature of imagination, creativity, and property.Hyde received an M.A. in comparative literature from the University of Iowa and a B.A....
    : The Gift: Imagination and the Erotic Life of Property, 1983 (ISBN 0-394-71519-5), especially part I, "A Theory of Gifts", part of which was originally published as "The Gift Must Always Move" in Co-Evolution Quarterly No. 35, Fall 1982.
  • Jean-Luc Marion
    Jean-Luc Marion

    Jean-Luc Marion is among the best-known living philosophers in France, former student of Jacques Derrida and one of the leading Catholic thinkers of modern times....
     translated by Jeffrey L. Kosky, "Being Given: Toward a Phenomonology of Giveness", Stanford University Press, 2002 by the Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University, (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN 0-8047-3410-0.