ECLIPSE OF MOON

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXV, Issue 23061, 11 June 1938, Page 12

ECLIPSE OF MOON

EFFECTS IN SAMOA SUPERSTITIOUS NATIVES PHENOMENON FEARED "SPIRITS WALK ABOUT" [FROM OT7R OWN CORRESPONDENT] APIA, Juno 2 In spite of over a century's missionary teaching in Samoa, old traditions and superstitions die hard. The recent eclipse of the moon caused much amusement among "palagai" residents, as the natives looked upon the phenomenon with fear and awe.

There is an ancient belief that when it occurs spirits of the dead come out of the ground and walk about and that ill-fortune overtakes anyone they meet. One family, for example, had a feafea festival fixed for the night of the eclipse to celebrate the arrival of a new daughter. Everything was going well when suddenly one of the boys discovered a red shadow on the moon and in less than 10 minutes all amusements had stopped and the chief had ordered the guests home to bed. Those who lived at a distance were accommodated in near by fales. Next morning a house boy was adked what had happened. He said: "All went to bed and covered their heads with lavalavas and no one was hurt." During the eclipse there was not a native to be seen on the roads. It appears that the danger and condition of the spirits' temper is computed by the size of the moon's surface affected, bo that a total eclipse means the maximum amount, and it is considered to be certain death to be caught abroad.