afterlife marriage

November 5, 2006 4:43 PM

Afterlife marriages in remote China "To ensure a son’s contentment in the afterlife, some grieving parents will search for a dead woman to be his bride and, once a corpse is obtained, bury the pair together as a married couple." (NYT article)
posted by dhruva (22 comments total)

From the article: “Parents have a sense of responsibility for their son,” said one woman, Li Yinlan. She said she had attended ceremonies where the coffins were placed side by side and musicians played a dirge.

Hey, if it means more gigs for struggling musicians, I'm all for it.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:05 PM on November 5, 2006 [1 favorite]

Don't forget the struggling mortician/wedding planners!
posted by Pollomacho at 5:14 PM on November 5, 2006

Are they exhumed for anniversaries?
posted by ryanrs at 5:25 PM on November 5, 2006

The title of that article is fantastic: Dead Bachelors in Remote China Still Find Wives. I'm totally going to use it for the book I'm writing about Christ-centered dating.
posted by Powerful Religious Baby at 5:29 PM on November 5, 2006

Are they exhumed for anniversaries?

Even in the afterlife, the guy usually forgets the anniversary. And lemme tell ya, a deceased wife is good at giving the silent treatment.
posted by flapjax at midnite at 5:30 PM on November 5, 2006

and if that's not fucked up enough for you, some of them eat dog.
posted by wumpus at 5:34 PM on November 5, 2006

Ask the local gentry/And they will say it's elementary...
posted by soundofsuburbia at 5:35 PM on November 5, 2006

img src="corpsebride.gif"
posted by mr_crash_davis at 5:35 PM on November 5, 2006

Well, I for one think it's a great idea. Who would want to spend eternity alone?
posted by Aanidaani at 5:38 PM on November 5, 2006

Well, clearly, marriage was always meant to be between one dead man and one dead woman.
posted by mmahaffie at 5:43 PM on November 5, 2006

and if that's not fucked up enough for you, some of them eat dog.

That's really more of a southern thing.
posted by Pollomacho at 6:00 PM on November 5, 2006

A pungent argument for gay marriage.
posted by Operation Afterglow at 6:01 PM on November 5, 2006

and if that's not fucked up enough for you, some of them eat dog.

That's really more of a southern thing.


I hear it makes your stomach growl.
posted by niles at 6:20 PM on November 5, 2006

Well, y'know...
Dead girls don't say, "No."
posted by Jon-o at 6:41 PM on November 5, 2006

I suspect this is really Plan "B"
posted by hal9k at 7:31 PM on November 5, 2006

I hear tell that the LDS can convert you after you're six feet under, so this isn't that alarming.
posted by Simplicissimus at 8:58 PM on November 5, 2006

I'm so very glad that the enlightened followers of our western religions don't exhibit this sort of nonsensical behavior!
posted by lifeless at 1:54 AM on November 6, 2006

Classy stuff. So what happens if the corpses consumate their marriage - are they prosecuted for necrophilia?
posted by Chunder at 2:32 AM on November 6, 2006

Classy stuff. So what happens if the corpses consumate their marriage - are they prosecuted for necrophilia?

I think we've all seen Dead Alive.
posted by 235w103 at 9:34 AM on November 6, 2006

Goth chicks. Am I right? Huh? Fellas? Heh, yeah, forget about it.
posted by Smedleyman at 2:25 PM on November 6, 2006

*cue creepy organ music*
posted by Smedleyman at 2:26 PM on November 6, 2006

Sadly, the divorce rate is still through the roof (of the mausoleum).
posted by ktoad at 3:23 PM on November 6, 2006