Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-04-29
ABOUT FALLING STARS.
The Origin of the Custom of Wishing on q
Star-A Curious Galician Legend.
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The Origin of the Custom of Wishing on q
Star-A Curious Galician Legend.
From the Philadelphia Press
Here and there in the highways and byways
of the world many legends and supersttions
still linger and continue to retain their ancient
prestige. In Galicia, the province northeast
Of Hungary, the peasants believe that when a
star falls to earth it is at once transformed into
a rarely beautiful woman with long hair, blonde
and glittering.
This splendid creature. tremendously engen-
dered, exercises all who come in contact
with her magical influence Every handsome
youth unfortunate enough to attract her atten-
ton becomes her victim. Thus having allured
them to her she encircles them with her arms in
an embrace that becomes gradually tighter and
tighter until the poor dupes are strangled to
death. Ii certain words are murmured the
moment the star starts to fall they cause her
allurements to lose their power
From this superstition springs the custom of
wishing while star is seen hurrying through
the air, Il wish said surely to come true IL COM
pletely formulated before the light is extin-
guished.
The Spaniards saw in the falling stars the
souls Of their dead friends the thread of whose
existence was cut short by destiny. The Arabs
thought these stars to be burning stones thrown
by the angels on to the heads of devils who at
tempted to enter Paradise. The Koran repro
duces and consecrates this idea and it is found
in all the regions under the influence of Islam
1t is to this particular idea that Moore refers in
the following lines from Paradise and the
Peri:"
Fieeter than the starry brands.
Al those dark and daring spirits
Who would climb the empyreal heights
Another ancient superstition belonging or.
iginally to the pagans. but one to which the
Christians clung is that the world viii come to
an end when it rains stars. 1t is related that
during the third year of the reign Of Constan-
tine the Red sea entirely froze, and in the fol-
lowing March SO many stars fell from the sky
that people thought the contamination of the
centuries was at hand.
The Chinese were the first to make OBSERVE
ton regarding the phenomena Of falling stars
Notes concerning these phenomena are to be
found In the writings Of the celestial astrono-
preserved in the observatory of the court st
Pekin, that famous mathematical tribunal
watching constantly over the empire and guild
ing and directing its course by means of knowl-
| heavens.
All the observations recorded during the years
forming the epoch between 6S7 and l647 have
been made public, but everything learned pos
terror to the later date are still secret and will
| remain one until the powers now in authority
| are extinguishsd and cease to occupy the throne.
The reason of this 10 the existence Of an ancient
custom forbidding the publishing such data
during the reign Of dynasty. The family at
present ruling in the land Of the queue reaches
in an unbroksn line back to the middle seven
teenth century.
Very few are the notices make by old Greek
writer's Of falling stars. However, virgie and
Livy do give some account Of them On the
contrary the chronicles Of the middle ages are
full Of descriptions Of both falling stars and
meteoric apparitions which were generally rs-
Garded With fear end trembling = WARNINGS oe
evil to coma