The Red String of Fate

The Red String of Fate. Have you ever heard of it? Most people in the world haven't or even if they have, they don't know what it means. Well I'm here to explain to you what this ancient legend is about. Now I've heard of this many times so I know what this truly means.

             

The red string of fate, also referred to as the red thread of destiny, red thread of fate, and other variants, is an East Asian belief originating from Chinese legend and is also used in Japanese legend. In Japanese it is "Akai Ito" which literally means "Red String" but that doesn't explain what the "Akai Ito" is. The true meaning about this "Akai Ito" is that there is a red string onb every person extending from their pinky to the person they are destined to be with (or in other words that every person is connected to someone in the world to live the rest of their live with to live their life with -- aka marriage.)


 According Chinese 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. Often, in Japanese culture, it is thought to be tied around the little finger. According to Chinese legend, the deity in charge of "the red thread" is believed to be Yue Xia Lao, the old lunar matchmaker god who is also in charge of marriages. The two people connected by the red thread are destined lovers, regardless of time, place or circumstances. 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 Red String of Fate has the power to switch the bodies of two people who tie their fingers together.

There is a very famous Chinese saying: "You are thousands of miles apart but you come together because you have YUAN between you. You face each other but you don't know each other because you don't have YUAN between you." Chinese like to say that YUAN is an invisible thread that connects people.

The term "YUAN" is from Buddhism. It's hard to find an equivalent word in English. The closest word to explain it may be FATE. YUAN is one of the most important ideas in Buddhism. It represents the connection, chance and influence between things. That's why people have the idea of invisible thread. YUAN can be good or bad. Buddhists encourage people to study Buddhism, be kind to others, and benefit society in order to start a broad and good YUAN. So when Chinese talk about YUAN, they mean good YUAN. If you have YUAN, you become a family, friends, classmates, colleagues, and neighbors. You have YUAN with the people who worship at the same temple. You have YUAN with your doctor. You have YUAN with the people who travel in the same train or boat. Some Chinese like to say that a relationship has to be cultivated for at least 500 years before it blossoms. This saying shows their appreciation for the relationship because it is not easy to wait for 500 years. If a man marries a woman, there must be a red thread, YUAN, connecting them. The invisible red thread also connects the loving parents, wherever they are in the world, with their waiting baby until they become a family. YUAN is also called YUAN FEN. If a boyfriend and girlfriend break up, if a couple divorces, or if a family member dies young, people would say that the YUAN FEN between them was not enough, or ended. It is wise to let nature take its course if the YUAN FEN ends. Otherwise, one of them or both of them will be hurt. There are some nice stories related with the invisible red thread. One story is about an old man under the Moon, who puts the red thread between a future husband and wife. Therefore, the matchmaker gets a nickname: "Old Man under the Moon".

            And here’s the story, a short story...

                   

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). The man explains to the boy that he is attached to his destined wife by a red thread. Yue Xia Lao shows the boy the young girl who is destined to be his wife. 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.

This legend about love and destiny might sound nice and romantic, but remember, it is only a legend! But what I'm trying to tell you guys is that even if you are single right now, there is someone out there who is connected with you with the red string of fate. I hope you guys learned something from this!