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In Chinese tradition, a ghost marriage (also known as a Minghun or spirit marriage) is a marriage in which one or both parties are deceased.^[1] Other forms of ghost marriage are practiced worldwide, from Sudan, to India, to post-World War I France (see Levirate marriage, ghost marriage in Sudan, posthumous marriage). The origins of Chinese ghost marriage are largely unknown, and reports of it being practiced today can still be found.

Chinese ghost marriage was usually set up by the family of the deceased and performed for a number of reasons, including the marriage of a couple previously engaged before one member’s death,^[2] to integrate an unmarried daughter into a patrilineage,^[3] to ensure the family line is continued,^[2] or to maintain that no younger brother is married before an elder brother.^[4]

Upon the death of her fiancé, a bride could choose to go through with the wedding, in which the groom was represented by a white cockerel at the ceremony.^[5] However, some girls were hesitant since this form of ghost marriage required her to participate in the funeral ritual, mourning customs (including strict dress and conduct standards), take a vow of celibacy,^[6] and immediately take up residence with his family.^[7] A groom also had the option of marrying his late fiancée, with no disadvantages, but there have been no records of such weddings.^[2]

When it comes to death customs, an unmarried Chinese woman has no descendants to worship her or care for her as part of a lineage.^[8] In every household, an altar is prominently displayed with the spirit tablets of the paternal ancestors and the images of the gods. A married woman’s tablet is kept at the altar of her husband’s family,^[9] however, should a woman of eligible age pass away unmarried, her family is prohibited from placing her tablet on the altar of her natal home.^[10] Instead, she will be "given a temporary paper tablet, placed not on the domestic altar but in a corner near the door."^[11] Hence, the important duty of Chinese parents in marrying off their children^[12] becomes increasingly important for their daughters. Since women are only able to acquire membership in descent lines through marriage,^[13] ghost marriage became a viable solution to ensure that unmarried, deceased daughters still had "affiliation to a male descent line"^[14] and could be appropriately cared for after death.

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