Yue Lao 月老
月下老人, the old man under the moon, ties the red thread between destined partners. The altar for matters of love, marriage and reconciliation.
月下老人 · the Old Man under the Moon
月老祠
姻 緣 天 定
Yue Lao, the Old Man under the Moon, keeps the Book of Marriages and binds destined lovers with an invisible red thread. “千里姻緣一線牽” — though a thousand miles apart, one red thread draws two hearts together.
姻緣樹 · Wishing Tree
Hang Your Love Wish
Write your wish for love and hang a red ribbon on Yue Lao's tree, where it sways among the wishes of devotees around the world.
● Live · hearts right now
供奉月老 · Love Offerings
Strengthen Your Affinity 增緣
About Yue Lao & the red thread · 月老紅線
Yue Lao (月下老人) appears in a Tang-dynasty tale: a young man meets an old man reading a book by moonlight — the Book of Marriages (姻緣簿) — who carries a pouch of red threads (紅線). With one thread he silently binds the ankles of two people destined to wed, however far apart or unlikely. To this day, devotees petition Yue Lao for a good match, tie red threads, and hang wishes at his shrine.
紅線 — the red thread of fated love.
姻緣簿 — the book recording every destined union.
姻緣樹 — the wishing tree where love prayers are hung.
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The red thread
月老 keeps the book of marriages and binds the ankles of those fated to meet with an invisible red cord. The thread may stretch and tangle, the tradition says, but it does not break — which is why he is petitioned for reconciliation as often as for new love.
His feast falls on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month, at mid-autumn.
How he is petitioned
Devotees state their own name and birth date, then what they seek — not usually a specific person by name, which the tradition regards as presumptuous. Offerings are red items, sweets and flowers.
Common questions
Can I ask for a specific person?
The tradition prefers you ask for the right person rather than a named one. Many practitioners consider naming someone improper.
Is he only for the unmarried?
No. He is petitioned for reconciliation and for the health of an existing marriage.
What do I offer?
Something red, something sweet, flowers.