Solar Eclipse Slideshow: Part 1 Part 2
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A seal wears sunglasses during a solar eclipse event at Sunshine International Aquarium in Tokyo, Japan, Wednesday, July 22, 2009. The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia from India to China into near darkness Wednesday as millions gathered in the open to watch the once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. (AP Photo/Itsuo Inouye) |
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Long the subject of myths, superstition, and legend, solar eclipses have been met with fear and dread. The ancient Chinese and Babylonias have the oldest records of solar eclipses, and these date back over 4,000 years. Ancient mythology and legends pointed many to believe that events transpiring between the ‘gods’ were the cause of the solar events. Ancient astrologers foretold events, often political, based upon the solar eclipses. In China, the belief was that the celestial, or heavenly, dragon devoured the sun, and likewise, the same dragon devoured the moon during lunar eclipses. Ancient Chinese customs included the Chinese attempting to scare away the celestial dragon with loud noise, such as gongs and drums.
Astrophysicist, David Dearborn states, "In many ways it makes sense that eclipses would be seen as bad omens. For most early cultures, the sun was seen as a life-giver, something that was there every day, so something that blots out the sun was a terribly bad event, filled with foreboding."
In the Hindu religion, Rahu is also known as the “eclipse demon”. Rahu is also seen in Tibetan Buddhist beliefs as the lord over the nine planets. It is customary for Buddhist monks, nuns, and devotees to perform rituals of prayer during solar eclipses.
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