Weather folklore

Weather forecasting has been part of traditions in all civilizations for thousands of years. Farmers wanted the best condition for their crops. Merchants needed favourable weather to sail with their ships full of goods. Not having technology like we have today they look for the signs in nature. They relied on the experience of previous generations. Mythology and religious beliefs were important factors too. Despite the fact that scientific weather forecasting is used everywhere some of this folk beliefs still exist.

For some people in Kenya Mkunga Mburu is the god of thunder. They believe that he travels across the sky on a huge black bull. Mkunga Mburu holds a spear in each hand. He throws them at clouds to create loud noises. Thunder is created that way.

The Yoruba people used to believe that lightning was actually magic made by the storm spirit. He shoots bolts of light from his mouth. The damage these bolts do on the ground is actually punishment for wrong things people did in their everyday life.

According to Zulu mythology rainbows are snakes which drink from pools of water created after rain. There is more. Those rainbow snakes then continue to live in the water and would eat anyone who bathes there.

In a way similar belief exists in the mythology of the Karen people of Myanmar. For them rainbow is a demon who eats the human soul. Rainbow causes sudden and violent deaths. It is believed that rainbow gets thirsty and appears on the sky. With one its end it finishes on earth where it drinks water.

Chinese Mooncake

Chinese people have delicacy called Mooncakes. They are eaten during Mid-Autumn festival. It is a festival of lunar worship and moon watching. The festival includes legends of Chang E, the mythical Moon Goddess of Immortality.

The “Li-Ji” is an ancient Chinese book with information about traditional customs and ceremonies. There it is written that the Chinese Emperor should offer sacrifices to the sun in spring and the moon in autumn. The 15th day of the 8th lunar month is the day called “Mid-Autumn”.

Ancient Indian mythology includes a belief that the dragon causes periods of drought on Earth Why? Well, actually he prevents the rain from falling. During droughts people prayed to the storm god to draw attention of the dragon and that way allow the rain to fall from clouds.

July can be the time of terrible drought in India. Recently the news appeared in media stating that some people in the Indian state of Bihar use rather strange methods to get more rain. It was reported that in some of local communities single young women worked on fields and chanted hymns naked. This act supposed to force gods to show little mercy and send rain.

Ancient Japanese believed in the existence of the Snow Woman spirit. During snow storms she could make people fall asleep and sometimes cause their death.

People in Turkey thought that the reflection of the Moon in water is actually the Moon fallen on the Earth. Some even tried to capture it.

An Aboriginal myth says that the frost comes from Seven Sisters or the seven stars of the Pleiades. These sisters used to live on the Earth. They were so cold they sparkled with icicles. That is why they decided to live in the sky. Once a year they pull off their icicles and hurl them down to Earth.

The myth about Moon from New Guinea is interesting. Here it goes. Long time ago there was a woman who knew how to make fire. Others want to learn her secret. Even her own children did not know it.

One day two of her kids used an opportunity while she was away to enter the hut. They searched and searched. Suddenly, when they removed the lid of one of pots they saw the moon. The moon started to float away. Kids tried to catch it. But it was so slippery. The moon went up to the sky.

For the people of Polynesia rainbow was actually ladders. Local heros used this ladders to reach the heaven.

Polynesians have a story about the sun too. Long time ago the sun travelled across the sky very fast. It was quite a problem for the locals as they did not have time to finish their everyday work. The help came from Maui. Maui was half-man, half-God.