This time, nobody missed it: the solar eclipse. There was a massive run on those special eclipse glasses, which our daughter managed to score on Amazon. The first batch had been ordered weeks ago, but it never arrived. By the time she placed a second order, the prices had already gone up!
Being together on the beach are also those wonderful moments when you can have a nice, relaxed chat with each other. We were able to enjoy the eclipse from start to finish. It was a mysterious twilight during the eclipse.
Did you know that in Asia, August 13 marks the official start of the Hungry Ghost Month? This signals the beginning of the seventh month of the Chinese lunar calendar. According to ancient traditions, the gates of the underworld swing wide open around midnight. Restless souls and hungry ghosts return to Earth to wander around. To keep them happy and appease them, people everywhere burn incense, leave food outside their doors, and burn special (joss) paper money.
But this year, the start of the seventh lunar month holds an extra deep, spiritual meaning for many. The night before, we were treated to a breathtaking spectacle in the sky: a deep solar eclipse, immediately followed by the magical Perseids meteor shower (shooting stars). The fact that these cosmic gates opened right after the sun was eclipsed and stars rained down from the sky makes this Ghost Month feel far more mystical and powerful than ever before to many.
Photo: Paul Meuldijk