The Invisible Red Thread : Chinese Legend
What is this red invisible thread that people often speak of ?
Legend has it that, a man and woman who are meant to be soulmates, would be connected by an invisible red thread around their fingers. And hence, they are destined to meet each other at the right time. This is a chinese legend. There is a deity who is believed to be in charge of this red thread as in match making, known as Yue Lao, the old lunar match maker god.
Is this legend there in/ part of any other culture other than chinese ?
This legend seems to arise from the east asia, in both chinese, Korean and japanese tales.
The saying goes “ The string might tangle, contract or stretch but it can never break”, which simply means true love always find a way!
What doea true love mean?
True love means a relationship that is passionate and faithful , a connection where the people involved are genuine and devoted to each other. Come what may, the bond is unbreakable and will survive the test of time!
Why is the invisble thread specifically mentioned as red in colour in this mythology?
As red signifies / symbolises passion, love, desire and attraction, it is believed that the thread of soulmates is red.
What are the Versions of this mythology?
Version 1 : A young boy on his way meets the lunar god of matchmaking, Yue Lao. Yue Lao was standing under the moonlight , and he speaks to the boy who was on his way back to his house. He said to the boy that the boy was connected / bound to a girl who was destined to be his wife by an invisible red thread. Then the god goes a step further to show the boy the girl, but the boy who being young doesn’t take this story to be true and showing no interest at all picks and throws at the girl. Later as time passes the boy grows into a man of marriagable age and his parents arranges for his marriage. On the wedding night he meets his bride waiting for his in their bedroom, he goes to her and lifts up her veil. He finds the woman to be extremely beautiful but she wears an ornament coverinv on one of her eyebrows. This makes the man curious and he asks his bride the reason for wearing such an ornament covering her eyebrows and she says that when she was a young girl, a boy threw a rock at her that left a scar on her face on her eyebrows and she feels comcious because of the scar. Hence, she covers it with ornaments. The woman is the one connected to the man by the red invisible thread of fate as mentioned by Yue Lao to the man’s younger self.
Version 2 : A man who has very distinct dreams about the woman he will marry in the future seeks Yue Lao and asks who is destined to be his wife. And Yue Lao shows him a girl who is poor. The man in fury orders to kill the girl and her relative who was seen with her so that he don’t have to end up marrying her in the future. Later, as time passes, he becomes a public officer and marries a beautiful woman who is from a rich family, and the man thinks he has evaded his fate. But his perfect wife has a limp and always kept her forehead covered which arose his curiocity. The wife upon hearing this question cries and explains what happened to her a few years back. After her parents death she was living with her nanny , one day a man stabbed her caretaker and wounded her which caused her limp and scars. The man immediately recognizes he had ordered to kill the girl and he also realises that the lunar god was right. He becomes teary eyed and seeks his wives forgiveness, and she forgives him . Hence, the man realises that we cannot evade our fate, what is meant for us will come for us!
Version 3 : A girl falls in love with a boy and proclaims her love for him. But the boy dismisses the girl and calls her foolish thus making fun of her. The girl in embaressement and heartbroken runs off to a fountain and is met by the lunar god, Yue Lao. Yue Lao tells her that the same boy who dismissed her love would be her future husband, as they are soulmates. The girl never believes it and in rage runs away. Years later as she turns into lady, she meets a young man who seems to be the man of her dreams. She asks the man his name, to which he says the name of the boy who rejected her and made fun of her years back. She however doesnt seem to realize who this man was. And on their wedding day, the man says to her that a girl with the same name as her’s liked him but he was stupid to not accept her love and made fun of her. Then she realises him and she admits it was her that he made fun of years back. The man appologizes for what he has done back then.
My Take on true love and the invisible red thread:
With divorce rates increasing, and the longest marriage some people strangely have is in hours, sometimes it makes me wonder if there is a person for everyone. How can you love someone, when you are not ready to give them a chance? When you are not ready to spent quality time with them? When you are not ready to listen to them? When you give up at the first chance of a fight? It is within our power to be understanding and giving. It is also in our power to give the old school romance a try. Yes, in todays world it might be easy to find many, but towards the end all that matters is companionship. Not attraction, not money, not job, not any other thing other than companionship.
And yes I do believe in true love, but true love only works if you are willing to take that extra wise step, to search for a companion above all things. To dedicate yourself in understanding and being loyal to the other person in exploring a life together. By being accomodating and loving. By having a spacious heart that has a capacity to be compassionate to the other persons emotions also.
And if so, yes the invisible thread might tangle but never break!
Cherish and love the person you are blessed with, celebrate them and celebrate what you both have. Always be loyal under any circumstances. Let there be fruitful blessed union of hearts!
