Cultural perspective of the practice of “ming hun” – posthumous marriage - in China compared with some other countries

Abstract

Ming hun (posthumous marriage) is a folk custom that has existed for thousands of years of history in ancient feudal Chinese society and still exists today. It shows distinct cultural characteristics in prevalent traditions in different local regions of China. Therefore, the practice of Ming hun by region is a practical topic on which a study should be conducted. Through that, it is possible to deeply understand the practice’s influence in the society as well as all aspects of the spiritual life of Chinese people, especially the consequences of Ming hun Chinese people had to bear during the period of time. At the same time, the article describes in detail the origin of folklore traditions, based on which it discusses the causes, trends, similarities and differences of Chinese Ming hun with that in some Asian countries such as Korea, Japan and countries in Africa.