Archive · 13 Dec 2025
Man Falls Ill After Ritual Sleep on Late Mother's Bed
A man in China got very sick after sleeping on his late mother's bed for ten days as part of a traditional ritual.
The ritual, called 'burying the ghost's bed,' is meant to help the soul of the deceased find peace.
The man's mother had died suddenly from diarrhea and vomiting, and doctors think she got a tick-borne virus from a tick bite.
When the man slept on her bed, he came into contact with the virus and got sick too.
After going to the hospital, he started to get better with treatment.
This story shows how some old traditions can sometimes lead to unexpected health problems.
A man in his sixties, surnamed Chen, from Zhejiang Province, China, fell ill after sleeping on his late mother's bed for ten days as part of a traditional ritual called 'burying the ghost's bed.'
The ritual is believed to help the soul of the deceased journey peacefully to the afterlife and typically lasts 35 days.
Chen's mother had died suddenly from diarrhea and vomiting, and doctors think she contracted a tick-borne virus from a tick bite.
Chen became infected with the same virus after coming into contact with body debris on his mother's bed and developed similar symptoms.
After receiving treatment at the hospital, Chen's health gradually improved.
- Who
- A man in his sixties, surnamed Chen, from Zhejiang Province, China
- What
- Fell ill after sleeping on his late mother's bed as part of a traditional ritual
- When
- After the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, and on the tenth day of the ritual
- Where
- Zhejiang Province, China
- Why
- To help his mother's soul journey peacefully to the afterlife, but contracted a tick-borne virus from body debris on the bed
- Location
- Zhejiang Province, China
- Ritual Name
- Burying the ghost's bed
- Ritual Duration
- 35 days
- Symptoms
- Muscle pain, diarrhea, vomiting
- Diagnosis
- Tick-borne virus
- Transmission
- Contact with body debris