In ancient China, when a man became seriously ill, his family might arrange a wedding for him in an attempt to drive away the disease.
The custom is called chong xi, literally translated as “clashing with joy”. Its rationale is that a happy event could lift one’s spirits and thereby dispel illness or other misfortunes.
In practice, if a man who was already engaged became seriously ill, his family might move his wedding forward. If he did not yet have a fiancée, his family might hastily find him…
Source: www.scmp.com
