Sexual cleansing (kusalazya) and levirate marriage (kunjilila mung’anda) are among the cultural practices that have been implicated in the spread of HIV. Using both quantitative and qualitative data obtained from Zambia in the second half of 1998, this study shows that performance of Kusalazya is expected in order to ‘chase the spirits’ of the deceased from the widowed spouse, and that the widowed, regardless of sex, have to be ‘cleansed’ through sexual intercourse, mostly with a sibling or cousin of the deceased. Although other practices that do not involve sexual intercourse have evolved, about one in three of the respondents still support sexual cleansing and levirate marriage and one in five of the widowed have been sexually cleansed. The main reasons offered include the need to support the spouse and children, and to continue the deceased’s lineage. Religion, sexually transmitted diseases, and now AIDS are the main factors modifying the rituals.