Red string of fate
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The red string of fate (Traditional Chinese: 紅線; Simplified Chinese: 紅线; Yale: hung4sin3; Pinyin: hóngxiàn), also referred to as the red thread of destiny, red thread of fate (and by other variants) is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend. According to this myth, the gods tie an invisible red string around the ankles of men and women who are destined to be soul mates and will one day marry each other. According to Chinese legend, the deity in charge of "the red thread" is believed to be Yue Xia Lao (月下老) (often abbreviated to "Yuelao" [月老]), the old lunar matchmaker god who is also in charge of marriages.
"An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet,
regardless of time, place, or circumstance.
The thread may stretch or tangle,
but it will never break."
- an ancient Chinese belief
The two people connected by the red thread are said to be destined lovers, regardless of time, place or circumstances. It is said that this magical cord may stretch or tangle, but never break. This myth is similar to the Western concept of soulmates or a twin flame.
The legend has since also become a popular myth in Japanese culture and other East Asian cultures.
[edit] Folklore
One story featuring the red string of fate involves a young boy. Walking home one night, a young boy sees an old man standing beneath the moonlight (Yue Xia Lao). He explains to the boy that he is attached to his destined wife by a red thread. Yue Xia Lao shows the boy his destined wife, a young girl. Being young and having no interest in having a wife, the young boy picks up a rock and throws it at the girl, running away. Many years later, when the boy has grown into a young man, his parents arrange a wedding for him. On the night of his wedding, his wife waits for him in their bedroom, with the traditional veil covering her face. Raising it, the man is delighted to find that his wife is one of the great beauties of his village. However, she wears an adornment on her eyebrow. He asks her why she wears it and she responds that when she was a young girl, a boy threw a rock at her that struck her, leaving a scar on her eyebrow. She self consciously wears the adornment to cover it up. The woman is, in fact, the same young girl connected to the man by the red thread shown to him by Yue Xia Lao back in his childhood.
[edit] See also
- Red string (Kabbalah) the talisman also known as red string, it is associated with Kabbalah, when worn on the left wrist, and with Buddhism when worn on the right wrist.
- Chinese mythology a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written form.
- Red String, a webcomic by Gina Biggs, gains its title from the first chapter's reference to the red string of fate and the adventures of the two people entwined by it.
