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Thursday, February 6, 2025
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MAN ASKS IF THERE ARE GHOST MARRIAGES BETWEEN SPIRITS AND PEOPLE IN S’PORE

Is ghost marriage a thing here?

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Yesterday, I watched the Taiwanese movie “Marry My Dead Body”. The movie (which is really really good!) tells the story of a guy that is forced to marry a ghost through “ghost marriage”.

I found this ghost marriage phenomenon very interesting and intriguing. I come from Indonesia, where ghost marriages are sometimes performed in the rural Chinese enclaves in Kalimantan. I’ve heard stories where during the ceremony, the tea inside the cup intended for the “ghost” gradually disappears in front of everyone as if someone drank from the cup.

I was wondering if ghost marriages are/have been a thing here in Singapore? If anyone has any anecdotes to share – that would be awesome!

Netizens’ comments

Yes. It is a thing. There is a temple at Tanjong Pagar that perform this ritual. I can’t recall the name, but it is the one that is near a hotel and near the huge patch where there are swings for people to paktor.

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It’s called 冥婚 and largely common in Taiwan.

Ghost marriages

Ghost marriages, also known as spirit marriages, are a centuries-old tradition that is still practiced in some parts of Southeast Asia, including Singapore. This unique cultural practice involves marrying a deceased person to a living person, often with the intention of providing the deceased person with a spouse in the afterlife.

In many Southeast Asian cultures, it is believed that unmarried spirits can cause mischief and bring misfortune to the living. To prevent this, families sometimes arrange ghost marriages for their deceased loved ones in the hopes of appeasing the spirits and securing good luck for the family. The practice is most common among ethnic Chinese communities in the region.

In Singapore, ghost marriages were once relatively common, especially among the Hokkien and Teochew dialect groups. While the practice has become less common in recent years, it still persists in some communities.

In a typical ghost marriage, a living person is chosen to be the spouse of the deceased. This person may be a member of the deceased person’s family or someone who is hired for the purpose. The wedding ceremony is often similar to a traditional wedding, with offerings made to the deceased person’s spirit and vows exchanged between the living and the dead.

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After the wedding, the living spouse may be expected to perform certain duties for the deceased, such as offering food and other offerings at a shrine or grave. The living spouse may also be expected to refrain from marrying or having children with another person, as this could be seen as a betrayal of the deceased spouse.

While the practice of ghost marriages may seem unusual or even macabre to some, it is an important part of the cultural traditions of many Southeast Asian communities. However, the practice has also been controversial, with some arguing that it perpetuates harmful gender roles and can lead to the exploitation of vulnerable people.

While the practice of ghost marriages may be fading in Singapore and other parts of Southeast Asia, it remains an important cultural tradition for many communities.

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