Hiding women and children, fasting, and planting trees are three of the superstitious notions about solar eclipses.
The eclipse event taking place on August 21 was welcomed by many astronomy lovers around the world. However, many cultures consider solar eclipses to be a frightening, rather unexpected, phenomenon.
In the 16th century, the ancient Aztecs panicked when they witnessed a solar eclipse, according to Live Science. Fray Bernardino de Sahagún, a missionary, describes when people began to scream and sacrifice with fear that the Sun would disappear forever, the demons of darkness would come down and eat people. Although this fear has now disappeared, many other superstitious beliefs about solar eclipses still circulate, according to Fox News.
Today, a solar eclipse is a welcome event. (Photo: Digital Trends).
Ancient people tried to find a way to explain this phenomenon. Some believe that eclipses are caused by gods and demons, others are attributed to dragons. The Shan people in Vietnam today, believe it to be an evil spirit in the form of a toad, according to Live Science.
According to some cultures, women and children should stay indoors during a solar eclipse. Many places even believe that babies born during a solar eclipse will turn into mice, according to Space.com.
In some parts of India, people fast during a solar eclipse. The reason is that they believe that any food cooked during this time is not pure, even toxic.
The Italians believe that flowers will bloom more beautifully if planted during a solar eclipse. (Photo: Mllbz).
The Italians have long believed that if you plant flowers during a solar eclipse, they will bloom more brilliantly.
The Batammaliba of Togo and Benin believe that eclipses occur because the Moon and the Sun are fighting. To make the Sun return, the people of Earth should reconcile their conflicts and live together peacefully.