Parents send dolls of dead children's "marriage" partners to temple

Hundreds of Japanese parents grieving for the loss of their children have been finding some solace in sending dolls in wedding attire to a temple in the northeast for rare "marriage" rites for people who died single.Yuchi Shiroto, chief priest of Koboji in Tsugaru, Aomori Prefecture, said the doll donation is a tradition that was started around 1950 by a woman who lost her unmarried soldier son in World War II.Wishing that he would marry and be happy in the afterlife, the mother donated handmade dolls of a bride and groom to the temple. The donation became known to other parents of the war …READ FULL ARTICLE