By: Ashley Hollifield
We have all heard about, if not watched, the Great American Solar Eclipse that happened recently. This eclipse traveled from Oregon through South Carolina in a 70 mile wide band spread exclusively across the United States for the first time in 99 years. This is a super cool thing to watch now because we know what is happening. However, historically people have been really superstitious about this natural phenomenon, and have come up with some very interesting ways to describe what they thought was happening.
In Vietnam, people believed that a solar eclipse was caused by a giant frog devouring the sun, while Norse cultures blamed wolves for eating the sun.
In ancient China, a celestial dragon was thought to lunch on the sun, causing a solar eclipse. In fact the Chinese word for eclipse, chih or shih, means to eat.
According to Hindu mythology, the deity Rahu is beheaded by the gods for capturing and drinking Amrita, the gods’ nectar. Rahu’s head flies off into the sky and swallows the sun causing an eclipse.
Traditionally, people in many cultures get together and bang pots and pans together to scare away the demons that are causing the eclipse.
Many people believe that solar eclipses are unsafe for pregnant women and their unborn children and are asked to stay indoors during the event. (There is no scientific evidence behind this theory!!)
In many parts of India it is believed that people must fast during an eclipse because any food cooked or prepared during one, will be unclean or impure.
On a more positive note…
The Batammaliba, who live in Benin and Togo, used a solar eclipse as a teaching moment. According to their legends, an eclipse of the sun meant that the sun and moon were fighting and the only way to stop them from hurting each other was for people on earth to resolve all conflict with each other.
And Finally, People in India believe that flowers planted during a solar eclipse are brighter and more colorful than flowers planted at any other time of the year.
If you had no knowledge of what was happening, what would be your best description to someone else of what was actually going on?
Whatever you believe, I hope that everyone enjoyed The Great American Solar Eclipse.. I know I sure did!