In a tragic and mysterious ancient custom in China, unmarried girls were chosen as brides by a legendary “Cave God” and sent to live in caves, where they would fast to death as a form of sacrifice.

The practice, known as Luo Hua Dong Nv is a folk legend from the Miao communities in Xiangxi, located in western Hunan province in southern China.

It is an ancient practice which no longer exists and its origins are unclear.

The custom has been described as a “marriage between humans and deities” and is regarded as one of the “Three Evils of Xiangxi”.

Two other rituals were corpse driving, where a master was said to have guided dead bodies to walk at night by ringing bells and scattering paper money, and Gu sorcery, a form of witchcraft that uses cultivated poisonous insects to harm or influence a targeted person.

Luo Hua Dong Nv typically involves unmarried women between the ages of 16 and 25, who are believed to be “chosen” and are often believed to have bright eyes, gentle personalities, intelligence and beauty.

The custom is thought to originate from animistic beliefs in the mountainous regions of western Hunan, where all things were thought to possess spirits and caves were regarded as the dwelling places of deities.