In many cultures there exists a myth that the moon is made of cheese.
People from those cultures had some of the citizens of Yucatán to thank on Sunday who, according to their own local legend, saved the moon from being devoured by an aggressive celestial creature.
Repeating an age-old tradition, children from the southeastern state steeped in Mayan culture took the lids from kitchen pots to bang them together during an eclipse. The story goes that the noisy performance helps the moon, considered a deity in pre-Hispanic times, free itself from a sinister creature that would otherwise make it disappear.
The tradition has become less common, but some families still encourage their children to continue it. It is unclear when the practice began to involve household kitchenware.
“Louder, louder, so the moon doesn’t get eaten!” one father can be heard saying to his daughter in a video, who bangs two pot lids together with measured enthusiasm.
🌒#EclipseLunar | ¿Recuerdas que antes se golpeaban las ollas cuándo había eclipses en Yucatán? La tradición sigue en algunas familias mientras disfrutan del espectáculo 🤩 pic.twitter.com/Y3RiUuEMYs
— Por Esto! Online (@PorEstoOnline) May 16, 2022
The lunar eclipse last night included the rare sighting of a super blood moon, where for several minutes Earth was positioned directly between the sun and the moon. In that time the moon fell completely into Earth’s shadow, temporarily making it appear dark orange.
