Xia Hai City God Temple | taipei cnn
Taipei,Taiwan(CNN)—Thesedays,itsallaboutswipingrighttofindapartner.ButsomeTaiwan[1]residentshaveanothermethodforfindingromancebesidesTinder--theycallonthegodofmarriageandlove.AccordingtoChinesemythology,theLoveGod,orYueLao,isinpossessionofa"bookofmarriages,"andcanfindandbindyoutotheoneyouremeanttobewith,witharedstring.ThestorygoesthatduringtheTangDynasty(618-907AD),amanaskedtheLoveGodtoshowhimhisfuturewife.ButhedidntbelievetheLoveGodandhadthegirlattacked.Butinthefuture,whenheactuallymethiswi...
Taipei, Taiwan (CNN) — These days, its all about swiping right to find a partner. But some Taiwan[1] residents have another method for finding romance besides Tinder -- they call on the god of marriage and love.According to Chinese mythology, the Love God, or Yue Lao, is in possession of a "book of marriages," and can find and bind you to the one youre meant to be with, with a red string.
The story goes that during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD), a man asked the Love God to show him his future wife. But he didnt believe the Love God and had the girl attacked. But in the future, when he actually met his wife, she had a scar from that same attack.
Taking this somewhat gruesome story to heart, many started believing in the Love God -- also referred to as "The Matchmaker" or "The Old Man under the Moon" -- starting in the Qing Dynasty (1644 to 1912), says associate professor Isaac Yue of the University of Hong Kong.
Today, believers continue to pray at statues of h...