Posted by IGBO PEOPLE AND AND POSTHUMOUS MARRIAGES
Do you know that in igbo land men who are dead can still marry and bear children?
In igbo land a dead man can be Given an opportunity to marry and continue his lineage
What is POSTHUMOUS MARRIAGE?
This is a marriage in which at least one of the participating members is deceased (the bride or the groom) . Simply put: POSTHUMOUS MARRIAGE is a marriage between the dead and the living
Posthumous marriage is also known as necrogamy or ghost marriage. Here we will be looking at the igbo people and posthumous marriage.
The igbo land is blessed with cultural diversity in which necrogamy is one of . Yes, in igbo land the dead also marry their bride or groom as the case may be, this cultural practice dates to the days of our forefathers whereby men who are dead can be granted opportunity of bearing children which they couldn’t bear before transmission.
Aim: the primary aim of this practice is to ensure that a particular lineage does not become extinct. Also to ensure that the inheritance of the deceased does not get transferred to a non family member.
Introduction:
The Igbos believe that a man or family who has 20 female offspring without any male is void of children. This is based on their understanding that a day shall come when all the 20 female children shall all be taken out of their home in marriage to different homes, leaving their paternal home desolate. This could also be the reason why the igbo culture does not permit the female children to participate in the Sharing of family inheritance.
It is seen as a curse, shameful, metaphysical embarrassment, and indignity when a family of igbo extraction does not bear a male children before death, families like this are bound to become extinct and have their wealth transformed to the nearest of the extinct family, usually after the demise of the couple. This has necessitated the research and study of the IGBO PEOPLE AND AND POSTHUMOUS MARRIAGES.
How are POSTHUMOUS marriages done in igbo land ?
There’s no other special pathway to this marriage other than the normal igbo traditional marriage/wine carrying pattern, dowry payment and the new wife becoming a member of the newly married home. After that is done, she and offspring (after birth) becomes entitled to any of the family’s assets and inheritance. This practice is carried out by some families and not all.
What could lead to POSTHUMOUS MARRIAGES?
If the only son of the family dies without giving birth, the aged parents, sisters can decide to get their deceased child a bride to help him bear children and continue their lineage .
A lady can also go into posthumous marriages with her boyfriend who died without proposing to her, this could be done to show a sincere commitment to the deceased by the girlfriend
This can also happen in a polygamous home, where a widow marries for her dead son so as to maintain her own lineage and not to be intimidated or oppressed by her co-wives and step children . If the posthumous wife bears a male child, the mother in-law becomes entitled to her husband’s inheritance again through the son.
POSTHUMOUS marriages in France
IGBO PEOPLE AND AND POSTHUMOUS MARRIAGES : This form of marriage is also practiced in other continents and countries (like France, China, India et cetera).
In France, it’s legal for the dead to marry their bride or groom but must get approval from several civil servants and the families of the deceased
Origins of POSTHUMOUS marriage in France:
Some women were married by proxy to soldiers who died weeks earlier before the proposed marriage. This practice came to be known as posthumous marriage. Posthumous marriage for civilians came in, in the 1950s, when a dam got broken killing about 400 people in Fréjus, France, including a man named André Capra, who was engaged to Irène Jodart. Jodart appealed to French President Charles de Gaulle to let her go along with her marriage plans even though her fiancé had died. She got support from the media and within months was allowed to marry her fiance Andre capra.
In China :
In China, it is a rare tradition called minghun or a spirit marriage. Here, it can be performed between two deceased singles, or between a dead person and a living person.
The practice of necrogamy could be traced back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.-220 A.D.); the participants were among the wealthy. The origin is due to the Chinese Yin and Yang philosophy where Yin was made to merge with Yang to reach harmony and the philosophy of life after death based on their culture. It was believed that if a person passed on as a bachelor or bachelorette, his or her spirit would feel lonely in the spirit world. This condition is against the Chinese Yin and Yang rule and was believed that their spirit may not reach harmony and could cause harm to their living family members and descendants. In view of this, the living family members would find a deceased opposite sex to be buried together to complete the Yin and Yang balance.
You can read more about IGBO PEOPLE AND AND POSTHUMOUS here
The primary motive of Ghost Marriage in China is to appease the minds of the living. This is a form of Bereavement Therapy practiced in the ancient days and is still being practiced nowadays in various Chinese communities. Attributed to its long history and unique practice, the real reasons behind this practice are long forgotten. What is left behind are stigma, superstitions, and eeriness encompassing the practice.
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This is the study of the IGBO PEOPLE AND AND POSTHUMOUS MARRIAGES as researched by updatesector.com