Written by: Salon Rai - 24069, Grade XI
Posted on: 18 January, 2023
"The Red Thread of Fate" is a belief that is popular in Japan and China, and it is similar to the idea of a soulmate or twin flame that we have. It is mostly famous among the youngsters and teenagers of those countries. According to the myth, everyone’s pinky finger is tied to an invisible red thread at one end, and the other end is tied to another person’s pinky finger, with whom the person will make history. Human relations, according to the Japanese, are represented by a red thread by the gods in the pinky fingers of those who are meant to find each other in their lives, whether they are near or far from each other.Legend has it that the persons who are connected by the "red thread of fate" will have a very important story to tell about their lives, whatever the time, place, or circumstances. The red thread of fate may get tangled, contracted, or stretched, but even in all these conditions, the thread cannot be broken or cut.
The reason we also make pinky promises is because the ulnar artery connects the heart with the pinky finger. The thin vein running from heart to hand exists in an invisible world just to end up in someone else’s heart. But unlike many other superstitions, the Japanese one isn’t limited to couples or a single person that one is destined to find. It speaks of a branched structure that emerges from the finger and extends towards all those with whom we will make history or help them in one way or another. The myth of the red thread is to understand that the meeting of each person in our life is predetermined and holds a place in our life with a lesson to be taught; the story we crisscross with others is neither triumph nor accident, but those are the parts of a scarlet thread we are given when we are born and that we nit ourselves.
According to Chinese legend, the deity in charge of "the red thread" is believed to be Yuè Xià Lorén, often abbreviated to Yuè Lo, the old lunar matchmaker god, who is in charge of marriages. In the original Chinese myth, it is tied around both parties' ankles, while in Japanese culture, it is bound from a male's thumb to a female's little finger. Although it is common in both of these cultures to depict the thread being tied around the fingers, particularly the little finger. The color red in Chinese culture shows happiness, and it is also prominently featured during Chinese weddings.
One story featuring the "red thread of fate" involves a girl who has a crush on a boy and decides to declare her love for him. Unfortunately, the boy rejects her and makes fun of her. The girl runs off to a fountain where she meets Yue Lao, who tells her they are soul mates. The girl is still fuming and runs off. When the girl becomes a lady, she meets a young man who seems very charming and, in other words, familiar to her. She then asks the man for his name, and he says the name of the young boy. The lady doesn't seem to notice, and then on their special day, he tells her that a girl liked him, but he was foolish and mocked her for it; he then exclaims that the girl had the same name as her.Realizing who he was, she admits she was the girl, and he eventually apologizes.
Reference:
https://psy-minds.com/red-thread-of-fate/
https://www.artpal.com/andypre83?i=180360-87
