(Photo: J177839
U.S. Copyright Office)
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Back when I was expecting my first baby, we had invited relatives over for dinner. It was the middle of the week, a Wednesday, which had started off sunny and fair. By afternoon, the skies had darkened, and before we sat down to eat, there was a tremendous downpour outside.
“You’re having a baby this week,” my aunt
smiled, wagging a finger at me.
I froze. How could she say that? I was a good month away
from my due date!
“Well, that’s what they used to say in India anyway,” she
muttered, taking in my stunned expression. “A superstition. But this superstition always comes true. You'll see.”
The week went by, and I forgot about her prediction. It continued to pour heavily over the next few days, and by Saturday night, I
went to bed feeling uneasy. I tossed and turned along with the lightning and thunder,
and as soon as it was light outside, I could wait no more.
“Contractions,” my doctor diagnosed when I called her.
“Meet me at the hospital right away.”
I barely made it there. My water broke as soon as I
arrived, and I spent the next 12 hours listening to the storm rage outside as our
newborn made her way into the world. Thankfully, she was healthy, and my exhilaration over this tiny living thing we'd created, was tempered by the
mundane chatter among the nurses that day.
“Busy tonight, eh?” one remarked, right after she'd pumped everyone about their weekend plans.
“Because of the rain,” replied another. “Lotta babies tonight.”
“'Cause of the elevated mercury levels in the atmosphere,” my doctor
mumbled.
So not just an old wives’ tale then, but an age-old
"legend" that happened to be rooted in science. It immediately reminded me of a passing comment my
90-some-year-old, wizened great-grandmother told a 10-year-old me when I'd asked
her in which year she was born.
“I don’t know, but they always told me it
was the year of that great flood.”
If you think about it, it’s really no wonder that ancient
civilizations such as the ancient Indians in South Asia or the Incans in South America, whom Alli covered
yesterday, made such astute observations about the forces of nature. They lived
and died by the seasons, made their fortunes (and lost them) based on the
success of their crops and harvests, and even wrapped their most important stories
in legends about nature’s most powerful forces.
Indra, riding his trademark white elephant,
Airavata. Painting from 1820–1825, painter unknown {{PD-1923}} |
Thus, the belief that morality and the weather went hand
in hand prevailed in ancient times. Too much rain or the lack of it altogether was seen as the will of god, the punishment or reward for man’s
behavior. So too, with the Vedic law of stars, what we know now as astrology, which
came to be associated with morality as well.
Total side note, but according to the Oxford Dictionary,
until about 1,000 B.C., Indra was thought to be, in
addition to his many other lofty roles, the god of fertility.
Perhaps every time it rains and the maternity wards fill
up, it's Indra’s way of showing us how all the forces of nature connect in the
great scheme of things. And of humanity's responsibility to serve
the greater good and start fresh with each new life.
Or, well, maybe it's just the
extra touch of mercury in the air?
Supriya, I love your story. Did your grandmother ever tell you "I told you so"? :-)
ReplyDelete... and I wonder if people in other countries have noticed this phenomenon?
Very interesting!
Fascinating, Supriya. I've never heard this superstition before.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great twist on "it was a dark and stormy night..."
ReplyDelete