Ghost Marriage In Society

The Nayar are the caste group that are characterized by endogamy, which is marrying within your ethnic group or kinship. According to Gough, to be married among the Nayar, a woman is required at least two husband (Pasternak et al 1997; 83). A ritual husband who ceremonially tied an amulet around her neck signifying that she has not slept with a man of inappropriate caste. Ritual husband might or might not have sex with her and rarely live with her and did not contribute to her subsistence or the maintenance of her children (Pasternak et al 1997; 83). Once ritually married, a woman could start enjoying several mates and visiting husbands, arriving after dinner and leaving before the breakfast and they too, contribute nothing of material significance

This definition can be very much applicable to certain societies who perform certain forms of ghost marriage, for example, among the Neur and Atuot people of Sudan. These are societies that ghost marriage has a purpose of providing a male heir to the deceased individual, even if the deceased is not the genetic father (Schwartze 2010; 83). In these societies, Gough’s definition fits perfectly but what about other societies like Chinese, who perform a ghost marriage for a different purpose?

Among the Chinese, ghost marriage is much more likely to be arranged between two deceased individuals than between living and deceased individuals (Topley 1995 cited in Schwartze 2010; 87). Topley even states that occasionally, the marriage is arranged early enough that the funeral rites and the marriage rites may occur simultaneously, including moving the bride from her grave to join her husband in his grave to symbolically finalize the marriage (Schwartze 2010;

In this definition provided by the Royal Anthropological Institute, marriage is only seen as the regulation of sexual activity with an aim of having children, and also a union that is only applicable among heterosexual relationships, which is inaccurate in our 21st century.

This definition does apply with the Tibetans people where brothers share a wife. Goldstein notes that “polyandry among Tibetans are two or more brothers jointly taking a wife, who leaves her home to come and live with them” (1987; 1). These marriages are particularly arranged by the parents with children, especially females having little or no say in the matter. Goldstein states that, the wife need to show sexual affection to all brothers equally and also give all of them sexual access equally. Children born are all consider the brothers as their fathers and treat them equally, even if they know who their real father is between the brothers (1987;