In China, ghost marriages are illegal.

In China, ghost marriages are illegal.

In Chinese tradition, a ghost marriage (Chinese: 冥婚; pinyin: mínghūn; lit. 'spirit marriage') is a marriage in which one or both parties are deceased.[1]:99 Other forms of ghost marriage are practiced worldwide, notably in France since 1959 (see posthumous marriage; compare levirate marriage and ghost marriage in South Sudan, i.e. marriage to a living relative of the deceased). The origins of Chinese ghost marriage are largely unknown, but reports of it being practiced today can still be found.[2]

In traditional Chinese culture it is shameful to be the parents of an unwed daughter, and unmarried girls are often shunned from society.[3] For men, ghost marriages were often performed for the sake of progeny. In addition, ghost marriage for men let the family's lineage carry on.[4] The spouse of a deceased male could adopt a child who would carry on the lineage of the man's family.[5] Other reasons for performing ghost marriages for deceased males are dreams and séances from the spirits of the males who want to be married.[5] Chinese tradition also says that younger brothers do not marry before their older brothers, so sometimes a Chinese ghost marriage will be performed to stay in line with this tradition