Mysterious marriages for the deceased used to take place in Seng Wong Beo temple in Peck Seah Street in Tanjong Pagar.
Two paper doll effigies - representing the groom and the bride would be offered food and presented with a paper house, complete with furnishings, from bereaved family members. The items would be placed on a paper bed at the end of the ghost marriage ritual, before being torched in an incinerator at the temple.
The temple had been carrying out this ritual, which cost about $1,000, for more than 100 years before it was stopped eight years ago.
A temple staff member, who declined to be named, said ghost couples were paired according to the cause of their death, for example, victims of miscarriages.
"Sometimes, the groom-to-be would even appear in a dream to tell his parents who he wanted to marry, and lead us to the address of the prospective bride," she said, adding that some non-Chinese people also requested the service.
The 126-year-old temple is one of the highlights of the My Tanjong Pagar Heritage Tour launched by My Community, a non-profit organisation that champions community heritage.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der February 05, 2024-Ausgabe von The Straits Times.
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