In the world there are numerous rites to seal and "legalize" the union between two people. Customs vary from one country to another and what in one place is imperative, in another may be illegal. In Supercurious we dedicate an article to the weddings between deceased that are made in China and this time we wanted to approach a strange type of union: The Posthumous Marriages . Oddly enough, they are still performed today, join us to discover 4 real cases.
The posthumous marriages are those in which one of the parties has died. Oddly enough, it is absolutely legal in France and in some way it is also accepted in China or in Sudan. In the case of the European country, posthumous marriage is understood as a type of marriage by proxy, which is one in which one of the parties is not physically present.
4 Real Cases of Posthumous Marriages you should know
1. The case of the rupture of the Dam of Malpasset
In France, posthumous marriages are authorized by art. 171 of the Civil Code. It was in force during the First and Second World War and was reactivated in 1959 after the rupture of the Malpasset Dam. To be able to make a wedding of this type it is necessary to request it from the President of the Republic, who is the only one who can authorize it.
On December 2, 1959 the Dam of Malpasset broke in France. 400 people died and one of them was André Capra, who was engaged to Iréne Jodart. This requested the posthumous marriage to President Charles De Gaulle and was granted. They are usually granted for emotional reasons or because there is a child on the way. The widower does not have inheritance rights regarding property or assets.
2. The case of Étienne Cardiles
On April 20, 2017, there was a terrorist attack on the Champs Elysees and Paris. In him died the captain of the national police Xavier Jugelé.
On May 30, 2017, the President of the Republic authorized the marriage of the deceased with his partner Étienne Cardiles with whom he was united through a civil union, which in France receives the name of PACS and which presents rights and responsibilities, but less than marriage.
3. The case of South Africa
The third of these posthumous marriages It took place in 2004 in South Africa. A man, after an argument, shot his girlfriend and killed her. Then he committed suicide. Family and friends, wanting to remember them as a happy couple, proceeded to celebrate a posthumous marriage. We do not know if the woman would have agreed after having been killed by man.
4. The case of the Korean Heung Jin Moon
On January 2, 1984, Heung Jin Moon, the second son of the leaders of the Unification Church, died in New York after a car accident. I was about to marry the dancer Julia Pak. Because in the Unification Church only married people can reach the highest level in heaven. His parents held a posthumous ceremony a month after his death.
In the posthumous marriages , the contracting party that is alive automatically becomes a widow after the celebration of it. Did you know about the existence of posthumous marriages ? Do you know any other case? Share it with us! If you were interested in this article, you may want to read: The terrible reality of child marriages in Africa .
Image: Eolefr