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Solar eclipses and omens
The day a total eclipse darkens the sky, once read as a portent of death or the fall of kings, and still met with rites in many cultures.
About Solar eclipses and omens
Societies across the world have treated a total eclipse as an omen. In ancient Mesopotamia, eclipses were noted in omen series, and a substitute king was sometimes installed to take the ill fortune of the real one. Chinese court astronomers recorded eclipses and the dragon swallowing the sun was a common image. Many cultures made noise to drive it off; others held that pregnant women should stay indoors. In Europe, medieval chroniclers reported eclipses before the deaths of kings. Modern astronomy predicts them centuries ahead, and most people now treat them as a spectacle, though some groups keep traditional practices. The three dates are for total eclipses visible from Europe, North Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Also part of it, and being written: Solar eclipse (The astronomical event and its cultural history.), Eclipse (The general article.).
Written by the EveryJaadu desk with AI assistance. Background: "Solar eclipse" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family, and are described as belief and practice. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.