On April 8, a total solar eclipse will occur in North America, causing a celestial spectacle. This event will happen in 15 states in the United States, including Texas, New York, and Maine, while portions of Tennessee and Michigan will see it as a partial eclipse.
Some self-proclaimed witches use this event to create "eclipse water," an ingredient they use to give their spells extra power.
Eclipses are considered sacred experiences rich with meaning for those practising alternative forms of spirituality, including those who identify as witches. Witchcraft is about finding and feeling personal power and strength that might not feel natural. To them, the spells cast during the eclipse are more powerful.
Witches also believe it is a portal that can unlock and change many things in the physical realm.
Some Christians believe a solar eclipse signifies the imminent "end times" in the Bible, as the New Testament mentions darkening skies during Jesus's crucifixion, which some associate with the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
The ancient Greeks believe that a solar eclipse was a sign of angry gods and the beginning of disasters and destruction.
The Tewa tribe from New Mexico, United States believed that a solar eclipse signalled an angry sun who had left the skies to go to his house in the underworld.
In Inuit folklore, the sun goddess Malina walks away after a battle with the moon god Anningan and an eclipse happens when the moon god meets with his sister.
The Batammaliba in Benin and Togo claim that the Sun and Moon are fighting.
In Vietnam, people believe that a solar eclipse was caused by a giant frog devouring the sun.
In ancient China, a celestial dragon was thought to jump to the sun, causing a solar eclipse.
Hindu mythology says an eclipse happens because the deity Rahu is beheaded by the gods for capturing and drinking Amrit the gods' nectar. Rahu's head flies across the sky, swallowing the sun and causing an eclipse.
Korean folklore suggests that solar eclipses happen because mythical dogs are trying to steal the sun.
Native American solar eclipse myths and legends include those of the Pomo, an indigenous group of people in the northwestern United States who tell the story of a bear who took a bite out of the sun and then met the moon and took a bite out of the moon as well, causing a lunar eclipse.
However, none of these theories and beliefs have any scientific backing.