Eclipse comes complete with myths and superstitions

With excitement for the coming solar eclipse on Monday, editors at The Old Farmer's Almanac addressed the myths and superstitions connected to this astronomical phenomenon.

To help dispel fact from fiction, they gathered the folklore, myths and superstitions around solar eclipses. Here's some of what they had to say:

• In ancient times, native people in Colombia shouted to the heavens, promising to work hard and mend their ways. Some worked their gardens and other projects especially hard during the eclipse to prove it.

• Even in modern times, people become scared and sometimes act irrationally during a solar eclipse. Some examples:

1. In Cambodia, in 1995, soldiers shot into the air to scare a mythic dragon from the sky. It was reported that the only scattered casualties were from bullets.

2. In Baja, California, in 1991, astronomers were surprised by the weeping and wailing of hotel staff, who were terrified by the onset of the darkness.

3. In 2010, during the annular eclipse, people stayed home, out of fear. Restaurants and hotels saw a dip in business and some schools closed when students didn't show up.

• People can also believe some pretty bizarre things:

1. The fog, dew or other precipitation resulting from an eclipse has been considered dangerous. (Not true.)

2. Alaskan natives believed that the moisture and dew could cause sickness. To combat it, dishes were turned upside down and affected utensils were washed.

3. Pregnant women are sometimes warned to stay inside, not carry sharp objects and not eat cooked food before an eclipse. (All superstition. Pregnant women and everyone else can do all these things before, during and after an eclipse.)

For more myths and superstitions debunked visit https://www.almanac.com/content/solar-eclipse-folklore-myths-and-superstitions.