Till death do us part

A young bride and groom circa 1920-1930s.

By Robert Neff

It used to be fairly common for couples (or their mothers) to visit fortune-tellers not only to obtain the ideal date for their wedding but also to ensure the marriage was successful. It is no surprise that these fortune-tellers were generally able to dispel any doubts the couple or their families had with promising fortunes ― but it wasn't always that way.

Many centuries ago, fortune-tellers sometimes disclosed dark prophecies such as the early death of the groom ― a dreaded fate, for a widow rarely remarried. For the sake of the young bride's happiness, the drastic measure, known as Po-sam, was occasionally practiced.

Po-sam was quite an elaborate and brutal act. On the day before the wedding, a young boy (most likely a poor boy with no family) would be lured into the bride-to-be's home where he would be forced to take part in a mock wedding.

Once the sham ceremony was concluded, the boy was quickly strangled in the belief that his death fulfilled the prophecy of the woman becoming a widow. The boy's body was then wrapped in a blanket and later smuggled out in the darkness and either buried beyond the walls of the city or left in the open for wild animals and dogs to feed on.

The young bride-to-be (who is now a widow ― at least spiritually) was then able to confidently marry the next day knowing that her real marriage would be a long one.

According to Homer Hulbert, an early Korean historian, Po-sam was derived from two words meaning blanket and wrap ― the manner in which the boy's body was disposed of. The death of a poor boy was the small price for the happiness of a young woman ― especially if she was from an affluent family.

Fortunately, this practice ended a long time ago but modern fortune-tellers do, believe it or not, still occasionally give dark marriage prophecies. Many years ago, one of my friends didn't like the reading his fortune-teller gave him, so he went and found another fortune-teller who did give him a positive fortune. He and his fiance had a large wedding with many guests but, to be honest, I seem to recall they divorced not long afterwards…