SUPERSTITIONS CONCERNING ECLIPSES.

Lake Wakatip Mail, Issue 1578, 25 February 1887, Page 3

SUPERSTITIONS CONCERNING ECLIPSES.

From time immemorial, and to the present day, most peculiar ideas have been entertained in different parts of the world about eclipses and their cause. The Hindoos believe that a black demon seizes the moon with its claws, and as long as darkness prevails the air is filled with lamentations, men, women, and children, entering the rivers, where they remain up to their necks in water until the return of light

The Siamese priests (talopoins) believe that when the moon is eclipsed a great dragon is devouring it, and in order to oblige him to let go his proy they make all sorts of abominable noises. The Chinese, like the Laplanders, are convinced that an eclipse is the work of demons, and make a hubbub to frighten them away. The Romans be-lieved the eclipses to be the work of magicians, and that a great noise could prevent them from hurting the moon.

Plutarch says that Aglaonice, during an eclipse of the moon which fhe has predicted, persuaded the women of The?salonica that by her magic songs she had not only the power to darken the moon, but oblige it to descend upon the earth. The Greeks and the inhabitants of Asia Minor, stood in such awe of eclipses that, according to Herodotus, in the year GlO 8.C., while a battle between the Lydians and the Medes was raging, an eclipse of the sun occurred, as predicted by Phales of Millet, it not only put an end to the fight, but the contending paities hastened to make peace, cementing tfce treaty by the marriage of Aryenis to Astyages. If we now turn to America, we find that the Peruvians, Mexicans, and ethers stood in great awe of the phenomenon. The Peruvians particularly dreaded the eclipse of the moon; they imagined that Luna was suffering from one of the mysterious diseases to which she was supposed to be subject, and feared that the queen of niL'bt might burst open and fall upon them, To avoid such a terrible calamity, and awaken her from her Uthargy, they would sound loud instruments, shout at the to.) of their voices, and beat tho dogs to make them howl. The Mexicans imagined thateciipses occurred in consequence of a family Fquabble between the sun and the moon, and that the moon was wounded in the fray. The frightened men ob?erved rigorous fasts, the women inflicted corporal punishment on themselves, and young girls drew blood from their arms.

In Tuciitan, the most interesting State of Mexico, the descendants of the Mayas are convinced that when Luna loses her brilliancy, she hai sickened in consequence of being; bitten by some larqe and very spiteful ants called Zulabuf, and that they will devour her if she is left without help. To frighten away their enemies they beat drums, blow shell trumpets, about, beat their dogs, pinch the cat's tail sand fired rockets and guns toward tho moon.