Wreath money is not a legal term, but the literal translation of
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
"Kranzgeld".
Kranzgeld is money paid by a man to a woman as a fine on having
sexual intercourseSexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which the male reproductive organ enters the female reproductive tract. The two entities may be of opposite sexes or not, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with her under the pretense of an offer of marriage which is then withdrawn.
The term refers to the
wreathA wreath is a ring made of flowers, leaves and sometimes fruits that can be used as an ornament, hanging on a wall or door, or resting on a table. A small wreath can be also worn on the head as a form of headdress.-Symbolism:...
that a bride traditionally wears at her
weddingA wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
. In some European cultures, notably Germany, a virgin bride was entitled to wear a wreath of
myrtleThe Myrtle is a genus of one or two species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern Europe and north Africa. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees, growing to 5 m tall. The leaves are entire, 3-5 cm long, with a fragrant essential oil. The star-like flowers have five...
flowers; a non-virgin bride, on the other hand, had to wear a wreath made of
strawStraw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalk of a cereal plant, after the grain or seed has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat...
.
Without her
virginityA virgin is, originally, a woman who has never had sexual intercourse. Virginity is the state of being a virgin. It is derived from the Latin virgo, which means "sexually inexperienced woman", used typically of adolescents, but also of older women, and even goddesses.As in Latin, the English word...
, it was assumed, her expectations to gain a good
matchMatchmaking is any process of introducing people for the purpose of marriage.In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized. The Ashkenazi Jewish shadchan, or the Hindu astrologer, were often thought to be essential advisors and also helped in finding right spouses...
for a
husbandA husband is a male spouse, or participant in a marriage.-Origin and etymology:The term husband refers to Middle English huseband, from Old English hūsbōnda, from Old Norse hūsbōndi .-Related terms:A male attains the role of husband once he has participated as the...
would diminish considerably.
Wreath money is not a legal term, but the literal translation of
GermanGerman is a West Germanic language, thus related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. It is one of the world's major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. Around the world, German is spoken by approximately 105 million native speakers and also by...
"Kranzgeld".
Kranzgeld is money paid by a man to a woman as a fine on having
sexual intercourseSexual intercourse, also known as copulation or coitus, commonly refers to the act in which the male reproductive organ enters the female reproductive tract. The two entities may be of opposite sexes or not, or they may be hermaphroditic, as is the case with snails...
with her under the pretense of an offer of marriage which is then withdrawn.
The term refers to the
wreathA wreath is a ring made of flowers, leaves and sometimes fruits that can be used as an ornament, hanging on a wall or door, or resting on a table. A small wreath can be also worn on the head as a form of headdress.-Symbolism:...
that a bride traditionally wears at her
weddingA wedding is the ceremony in which two people are united in marriage or a similar institution. Wedding traditions and customs vary greatly between cultures, ethnic groups, religions, countries, and social classes...
. In some European cultures, notably Germany, a virgin bride was entitled to wear a wreath of
myrtleThe Myrtle is a genus of one or two species of flowering plants in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern Europe and north Africa. They are evergreen shrubs or small trees, growing to 5 m tall. The leaves are entire, 3-5 cm long, with a fragrant essential oil. The star-like flowers have five...
flowers; a non-virgin bride, on the other hand, had to wear a wreath made of
strawStraw is an agricultural by-product, the dry stalk of a cereal plant, after the grain or seed has been removed. Straw makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat...
.
Without her
virginityA virgin is, originally, a woman who has never had sexual intercourse. Virginity is the state of being a virgin. It is derived from the Latin virgo, which means "sexually inexperienced woman", used typically of adolescents, but also of older women, and even goddesses.As in Latin, the English word...
, it was assumed, her expectations to gain a good
matchMatchmaking is any process of introducing people for the purpose of marriage.In some cultures, the role of the matchmaker was and is quite professionalized. The Ashkenazi Jewish shadchan, or the Hindu astrologer, were often thought to be essential advisors and also helped in finding right spouses...
for a
husbandA husband is a male spouse, or participant in a marriage.-Origin and etymology:The term husband refers to Middle English huseband, from Old English hūsbōnda, from Old Norse hūsbōndi .-Related terms:A male attains the role of husband once he has participated as the...
would diminish considerably. As the fiancée would have gained the protection of her status as a
wifeA wife is a female spouse, or participant in a marriage.-Origin and etymology:The term originated from the Middle English wif, from Old English wīf, woman, wife, from Germanic * wībam, woman, related to Modern German Weib , from the Indo-European root ghwībh-; wīb, meaning veiled or clothed,...
, the money is a
tributeA tribute is wealth one party gives to another as a sign of respect or, as was often case in historical contexts, of submission or allegiance...
or
reconciliationReconciliation means settlement, resolution, compromise, reunion, bringing together.Reconciliation may refer to:*Reconciliation , a sculpture by Josefina de Vasconcellos...
to her.
In
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
, the paragraph §1300 of the
family lawFamily law is an area of the law that deals with family-related issues and domestic relations including:*the nature of marriage, civil unions, and domestic partnerships;...
, part of the
civil codeA civil code is a systematic collection of laws designed to comprehensively deal with the core areas of private law. A jurisdiction that has a civil code generally also has a code of civil procedure...
Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, was abolished on May 4, 1998, when the entire law was renewed, on the occasion of a
trialA trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
in 1993 where the
judgeA judge, or arbiter of justice, is a lead official who presides over a court of law, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is like an umpire in a game and...
s decided the law was outdated. A woman had then tried to sue 1000
DMThe Deutsche Mark or German mark was the official currency of West Germany and, from 1990 until the adoption of the euro, all of unified Germany...
(in 2004 roughly €500 or $500), but the request was denied on the grounds of
equal rightsGender equality is the goal of the equality of the genders or the sexes, stemming from a belief in the injustice of myriad forms of gender inequality....
between man and woman.