Emily Chan
For some, “’til death do us part” isn’t enough, and that’s where the concept of ghost weddings comes in. In some parts of China, ghost weddings are common. The tradition involves arranging a marriage between two deceased parties or even between a living person and someone beyond the grave.
This practice is called “mínghun” and has been around for centuries. It’s rooted in Confucian values, particularly filial piety. Filial piety is all about demonstrating respect for one’s parents and ancestors.
Even when dead, a family member’s wishes must be acknowledged to prevent the order and structure of the family from becoming unbalanced.
Additionally, there was a custom stating that a younger brother should not get married before their older brother does.
The death of an elder brother before he had a chance to marry would cause an interruption in the completion of the family structure.
Therefore, a ghost wedding must occur to restore balance and appease the spirits of the departed. It was widely believed that a person who died before getting married would come back and haunt the living.
Just like any regular wedding, a ghost wedding called for a ceremony and a banquet. The bride’s family would receive a dowry, and the earliest versions of the ritual involved digging up the body of the deceased woman and burying her in her new husband’s grave.
Ghost weddings were a nice way to honor dead loved ones and bring comfort to the living, but with this practice comes an element of danger from people with malicious intentions.
Factors such as childbirth policies, gender ratio discrepancies, and risky jobs with high fatality rates in rural areas made ghost marriages increase in popularity.
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