Our entire existence quite literally revolves around our sun.
Today, many of us will see the moon pass between us and that huge ball of flaming gases. The country is buzzing about the eclipse.
Throughout history, eclipses have been interpreted by many cultures as a disruption of the natural order, and in some cases a "bad omen," according to Britannica.
In ancient China, the etchings discovered in Anyang depicted solar eclipses as celestial dragons attacking and devouring the sun.
"To frighten away the dragon and save the sun, people would bang drums and make loud noises during an eclipse,"according to Britannica.
In South America, the ancient Incan people believed solar eclipses were a "sign of wrath and displeasure" from Inti, the "all-powerful sun god," Britannica further says.
"Following an eclipse, spiritual leaders would attempt to divine the source of his anger and determine which sacrifices should be offered," Britannica notes, adding that fasting and even instances of human sacrifice were common during a solar eclipse.
Choctaw Native Americans, the third-largest Native American nation – originally based in what is now Alabama and Mississippi – created lore similar to that of ancient Chinese people to explain solar eclipses.
"According to Choctaw legend, a mischievous black squirrel gnawing on the sun is the cause of eclipses," according to Britannica. "Like the Chinese dragon, the squirrel must be frightened away by the clamor and yells of the event's human witnesses."
In West Africa, the Tammari people, also known as Batammariba, from the northern regions of Togo and Benin, believed the celestial bodies intersecting during an eclipse represented human feuds on Earth.
"According to their legend, human anger and fighting spread to the sun and the moon, who began to fight with each other and caused an eclipse," Britannica notes.
All I know is the birds really love to sing as we turn to face that huge mass of life giving heat, light and energy.
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