Korean beliefs

Korean beliefs

Many Korean people believe in certain things like – Destiny, fate, in-yun and dream and they have a certain meaning.

1. Fate

In some countries particularly in Korea, Japan, and China, there is a belief about destiny – an ancestral story of what they call “The Red String of fate”   The story follows….

 

(Image source: aniradioplus)

“An invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of times, place or circumstance. The thread may stretch or tangle, but it will never break”. 

Many people believe that each person have one destined partner just waiting out there somewhere. It may not come soon as one might expect, but still there is a person who is tied to the other side of your string for sure. 

The origin of the red string of fate is derived from an ancient East Asian belief. In the Korean and Japanese culture, it is thought that the string is tied around the little finger. It is believed that the color of the string being red symbolizes attraction and desire, as well as passion and love. 

▷Red thread of fate in K-dramas:

“Tomorrow” is a South Korean television drama that aired in 2022. It is a fantasy series. In this fantasy drama, a group of grim reapers is responsible for saving humans before they commit suicide. This special team works to get to the heart of the person’s pain, and help them find healing and hope in order to live out their allotted days.

(Image source: Dramabeans)

 It’s here, folks! The backstory we’ve been waiting for: the sad truth, the tragic events, and the story behind the red thread of fate that once bound our two reapers.

Episode 5 featured Woo-jin’s story — Woo-jin’s mother died in childbirth, his father blamed and hated him, and then eventually committed suicide. Little Woo-jin (played by the most adorable little boy on earth) is taken in by loving family members and it seems like he’ll heal from his trauma… but then all three of them die in a car accident and he’s left — again — alone, guilt-ridden, and hopeless.  

His love story with Na-young we’ve seen, but now their end is even more cruel.  She’s gonna die in an accident too.

A final interesting bit of information from Woo-jin’s  story is that his bond with Na-young is destined — we see this through the red thread of fate that binds theirs wrists — and Ryeon assures our very sad Jun-woong that no matter what, those two will always find their way back to each other. The only way they wouldn’t is if they broke the thread themselves. Jun-woong surmises that suicide would be the act to do that.

▷In—Yun 인연

  

(Image source: IMBD)

▷인연— The ties between two people over the course of their lives;  one’s connection with certain people or things.

Writer/director Celine song has drawn from her past and heritage to wrap the Korean cultural concept of In–yun into her compelling feature film directorial debut, Past Lives.

The protagonist said – there is a word in Korean, In –yun. It means fate. But its specifically about relationships between people. Its an In-yun if two strangers even walk by each other in the street and their clothes accidentally brush because it means there must have been something between them in their past lives. If two people get married they say its because there have been 8000 layers of in-yun over 8000 lifetimes.

2. Death and Afterlife

In Korean folk belief, death means a departure from this world to the “otherworld”. The otherworld is not necessarily located far away from this world but may be over the mountains. Death is thought to be a rite of passage, and the dead are generally considered to be similar to the living.

Cheondojae(Korean:천도재) Is a Korean umbrella term for Buddhist rituals based on reincarnation. Cheondojae is also known as after death ceremonies or Buddhist funeral rites. Buddhists believe when someone dies, their soul is held 49 days between death and rebirth. Cheondojae helps the soul reincarnate to a better place.

 

(Image source: Korea Buddhism)

▷Origin of Cheondojae:

Cheondojae, after-death ceremony (荐度斋), originates from the aspiration for the spirits to find peace and rest in afterlife. Thus, Cheondojae is commonly referred to as Traditional Buddhist Ceremony of Death and After Life. Chun (荐) means to recommend and Do (度) is to guide the spirit of the deceased to take birth in better place or direct them to the path of goodness. Therefore, Chundo ultimately means to guide or save souls after death in order to take blissful rebirth in the Pure Land or heavenly realms. Therefore, Cheondojae in fact contains a very broad meaning, which incorporate diverse Buddhist ceremonies such as the 49-days death sacrifice (a 49 days memorial service after person’s death), Suryukjae (Ceremony to pray for the lonely spirits and hungry ghosts in water and on land), and Yeongsanjae Buddhist rites (honoring Sakyamuni’s sermon at the sacred Vulture Peak Mountain and prayers for all sentient which include the spirits of the deceased).

3. Dreams

Too many cultures (western, Korean, Chinese), dreams are believed to be predictions about the future and there are many people and books that help interpret the meaning of dreams. However, given different cultural background, the same symbol in the dreams can mean different things to different cultures.  Let’s talk about how Koreans interpret the symbols of their dreams.

In Korea, people who buy and sell dreams believe that certain dreams have an auspicious omen and this energy can be transferred through the transaction. 

 

(Image source: Pintrest)

 Pig dreams: It’s said in Korea that if a large herd of pigs enter your house, then you might be hitting the jackpot (잭팟) with black and white pigs being the most auspicious. However, if you are selling (팔다) a pig, it may sense that you might lose some money in the near future. And if you are being attacked (공격) by pigs, it means that something bad might happen.

 

(Image source: uBitto)

Ancestors:  Having your ancestors reappear in your dreams can have both good and bad meanings. Ancestors that are giving you money or sharing a meal with you is interpreted as any family or career (직장) troubles related to family or career will go away. But if your ancestors refuse (거부) to eat the food you have offered them, it means that something bad is going to happen.

 

(Image source: uBitto)

Money: There can be two interpretations of money dreams in Korea. The first interpretation is that you will be going to make a lot of money, but hard effort (노력) has to be put in to fulfill. Meanwhile, the second interpretation says that you may enjoy sudden monetary fortune. Many people will interpret dreams of money as a sign to start saving up money.

(Image source: uBitto)

Blood:  though this may seem a little scary, getting stabbed and bleeding in your dream is often seen as a good sign in Korea. The blood represents money, so the more blood you shed, the more money is coming your way. Many people in Korea who had blood-filled dream will go out the next day to buy a lottery (로또) ticket.

Thank you for reading.