August 12 eclipse revives the old taboo on sex

The August 12 eclipse and the old prohibition on sens

Sens during an eclipse is not dangerous, science has been repeating for decades. And yet, every time the sun disappears in the middle of the day, the question returns to the search engines. August 12 will be no exception. While millions look up at the sky, a few will type the same doubt into Google, hoping that this time the universe has changed its mind.

History offers a catalogue of warnings: many cultures interpreted the eclipse as a divine sign and ordered abstinence from certain practices. Greenlandic Inuit and Australian Aboriginals appear in that story with their own recommendations, though the details of their advice have been left half-said in public conversation. What is clear is that no civilisation treated the phenomenon as a mere astronomical spectacle.

The buzz before the event mixes anecdote with jest. Some have dubbed the eclipse the "pacopalipsis" because it crosses Spain right through the middle, and others take the chance to mock the rituals the powerful are preparing. The tension over Greenland, with Trump's push to annex the island, also creeps into the comments, less as a geopolitical debate than as material for jokes about frozen refugees.

Science and superstition have rarely understood each other. The former reminds us that the only real danger is looking at the sun without protection; the latter still sees in the midday darkness a warning in full force. It remains to be seen whether it all comes down to a passing curiosity or an old cultural reflex that refuses to die.