mmalabanan
In China, parents usually go out of their way just to make sure that their kids get to tie the knot at a certain age. While some set up blind dates, others use emotional blackmail to get their kids to walk down the aisle.
However, this Chinese tradition also strangely applies even to the deceased. The practice, known as ghost marriage, is widely done in Shaanxi province, north Henan province, and Shanxi province in China. In fact, one family living in rural Shanxi recently shelled out $27,000 for a corpse bride to marry their son who died a bachelor.
Locals believe that families of dead bachelors will be cursed, forcing them to look for deceased brides. Sadly, due to high demand of corpse brides, it has enticed thieves to steal corpses of women from graves and sell them on the black market.
The tradition was widely practiced in medieval China but was later banned by Chairman Mao in 1949. Today, individuals who will be found guilty of stealing dead bodies may be imprisoned for up to three years.
