Bridal Shower
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A bridal shower is a party given for a bride before her wedding. Showers are usually coordinated by the bridesmaids, who invite guests to offer gifts for the home of the bride and groom. Because gifts are required of those who attend the shower, it has been considered rude for a relative of the bride to give it.

The custom of the bridal shower is said to have grown out of earlier dowry practices when a poor woman's family might not have the money to provide a dowry for her, or when a father refused to give his daughter her dowry because he did not approve of the marriage. In such situations, friends of the woman would gather together and bring gifts that would compensate for the dowry and allow her to marry the man of her choice.

The earliest use of this sense of the word in print may be in the Grand Rapids Michigan Evening Press 22 June 4, 1904: "The 'shower parties' that through mistaken hospitality the wedded couple are forced to attend..."

This custom is an American one. In other countries gifts are given at the wedding itself or sent to the couple's new home after the event.

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The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a state in the eastern part of the United States. One of the original Thirteen Colonies that founded the country, it is known as the Keystone State, which is appropriate given its central location among the original colonies, or the Quaker State. With industry making Conestoga wagons and rifles, and tobacco farms, it was a transitional area bearing characteristics of both the heavily industrialized North and the agrarian South. Consequently, three Keystone State cities—Philadelphia, Lancaster, and York—served as capital of the new nation, with the Founding Fathers drawing up and signing Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution in Pennsylvania. Philadelphia is known as the cradle of the American Nation. Pennsylvania has two coastal areas: 63 miles (100 km) of coastline along Lake Erie and 57 miles (92 km) along the Delaware Estuary. Philadelphia is home to a major seaport and shipyards on the Delaware River. The state has five nuclear power plants, more than any other state. Miscellaneous topics Rocks formed during the Pennsylvanian geological period (about 300 million years ago) are common in Pennsylvania. The epoch was named for the state. Pennsylvania is a Commonwealth, despite the fact that it has a State Treasury and a State Police department. Massachusetts, Virginia, and Kentucky are also known as Commonwealths. The battleship USS Pennsylvania, damaged at the attack on Pearl Harbor, was named in honor of this state, as were several other naval vessels. It was repaired at the former Sun Ship Yard & Dry Dock in Chester City. Naming Although Swedes and Dutch were the first European settlers, the English Quaker William Penn named Pennsylvania for the Latin phrase meaning "Penn's Woods", in honor of his father. Penn's original choice had been "New Wales", because descriptions of the terrain and climate reminded him of Wales. The name was rejected because of protest from Welsh members of Parliament, who objected to the name of their region being applied to such a wild and uncivilized territory, especially one founded by Quakers. Penn then suggested "Sylvania", Latin for "woods", as an alternative. Charles II amended that to "Pennsylvania". Since the Quaker religion frowns on such acts of egotism, William Penn objected to the idea but was placated by the King's proposal to name the state in honor of Admiral Sir William Penn, Penn's father and national hero, rather than William Penn himself. Today, two major cities dominate the state—Philadelphia, home of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and a thriving metropolitan area, and Pittsburgh, a busy inland river port and major center for educational and technological advances. The Pocono Mountains and the Delaware Water Gap provide popular recreational activities. Economy Pennsylvania's 2004 total gross state product was $468 billion, up from $383 billion in 1999 (in current dollars). This ranks Pennsylvania 6th in the nation. If Pennsylvania were an independent country, its economy would rank as the 17th largest in the world, ahead of Belgium, but behind the Netherlands. The 2003 per capita personal income was $31,988, 16th in the nation, compared to 19th place in 1999. Its agricultural outputs are dairy products, poultry, cattle, nursery stock, mushrooms, hogs, and hay. Its industrial outputs are food processing, chemical products, machinery, and electric equipment. Tourism is a very big industry in the state, ranking as the 7th most visited state in the union, and 7th in tourism expenditures with $15.9 billion. Only California, Florida, New York, Texas, Illinois, and Nevada ranked higher. Pennsylvania has a large, diverse group of manufacturing companies and within this group are some whose products have come to be household words. Among these products are Hershey bars from The Hershey Company in Hershey; Heinz ketchup and Heinz-57 sauce from the H. J. Heinz Company in Pittsburgh; Crayola products from Binney & Smith, Inc., in Easton; and Zippo lighters from Zippo Manufacturing in Bradford. Other corporations based in Pennsylvania are: Alcoa, Comcast, United States Steel, Rohm and Haas, CIGNA, Sunoco, Pep Boys, Utz / Herr's / Wise Potato Chips, and many others, especially insurance, pharmaceutical, and steel corporations. Lancaster County is well known for its quality wood products such as furniture, sheds, gazebos and play sets. Most of these are produced by Amish and Mennonite craftsmen and are shipped all over the country and throughout the world. On Lake Erie some freshwater commercial fishing exists, the principal catch being yellow perch. Source: Wikipedia.org - English