Solar Eclipse 2023:Eclipse According To different Culture And Traditions

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On April 20, a total solar eclipse appears over the North West Cape, a remote peninsula of Western Australia. It is a precursor to 4 more total solar eclipses that would occur in the skies of Australia in the coming 15 years.

The Ancient Impressions About Eclipse
People from ancient times, always wondered why Sun disappeared from the sky for a clear instant and then resurfaced. They had their own answers but the question bogged them for a long time till the answer was found out. While some cultures insist that it was caused due to celestial fight between mythical figures, or as an act of stealing the Sun, the other cultures believed that it is a sign of divine wrath.

Traditionally, people used to make loud noises by banging their vessels and pans just to frighten the demon that caused this change in the sky.

Demons, Wolves And Giant Frogs
Vietnamese believed that solar eclipse happens because a giant frog eats up the Sun. Norse people insist that it happens due to the devouring of sun by wolves. China says it is dragon which devours the Sun. According to Koreans, it is the handiwork of mythical dogs that try to steal the Sun from the sky.

The Pomo, a group of people living in the north western part of United States, love to tell a story of a bear that fought with the sun and ate a part of him which caused eclipse.

The Bear then went up to the Moon, and ate a portion of the Moon as well. This caused lunar eclipse, according to them. Solar eclipse occurs always two weeks before or two weeks after a lunar eclipse. Greeks thought that eclipse was a manifestation of Gods Wrath and surely it could indicate disasters and problems for people.

What Do We Think About Eclipse Now?

Eclipses are still seen as harbingers of devastation and doom that also spell death and disasters. People still believe, including Indians, that eclipse is especially inimical to the pregnant ladies and their unborn kids. So they are advised against going out in the Sun on the day of eclipse. In India, people undertake nirjal upavas and do not eat cooked food during eclipse.

Indians believe that it was Rahu a demon who is responsible for overshadowing the Sun and Moon temporarily blinding them. They can see light only after the eclipse has passed. So Indians perform certain rituals that help the Sun to defeat Rahu and emerge successfully from the eclipse. They rejoice when the eclipse has ended, by giving away things in charity.