Finding Love Through Fortune Dating
Cat tien duyen. Haven’t you heard? Everyone’s talking about it – the latest solution for independent career women too busy to find a husband. -Or for their male counterparts, who just can’t find a nice girl to settle down with. Anxious mammas are more than happy to dole out the fee of 500,000-3 million VND (£16-£93) to experienced fortune-tellers, though results are not guaranteed. During the ceremony, the prowling spirit of a deep and passionate lover in a previous life is offered paper money, paper houses, paper concubines, etc, and then is entreated to relinquish his or her hold on the bachelor/ette. ‘The most important thing is to believe in what you’re begging for, otherwise your wish won’t come true,’ says the fortune-teller. ‘Your faith represents the desire and resolution inside your heart. God helps when you believe in him.’
- The trials and tribulations of finding a spouse plague most modern societies, yet the Vietnamese ‘solution’ points to a crisis even more grave than singleness – a culture in spiritual bondage. Pray for freedom. Also ask that Christian singles be guarded against the temptation to try this latest fad. Lord, grant them courage and patience, even when pressured by concerned parents or their own sense of the clock ticking.