Superstitions...

Yesterday marked the longest total solar eclipse in 21st century. It lasted as much as 6 minutes and 39 seconds in some parts of Asia. This phenomenal is visible only in Asia this time around. Millions grabbed the once-in-a-lifetime chance to witness the phenomenon - where the moon moves directly in between the sun & earth, covering it completely to cast a shadow on earth.

As a number of excited viewers all set with gears (e.g. binocular, sunglasses), waited patiently & cheered when the eclipse took place, there were many who totally stayed away from the outdoor. In India, there was a special trip organized where a travel agent chartered a flight to fly a handful of enthusiastic passengers at the specific time to view the eclipse up close. Of course the fare was charged at a premium rate.
However, there were believers who stayed indoor throughout the sun eclipse, as they believed the occurrence of this eclipse emits negative energy as well as brings disasters to the world. There's a saying that phenomenon of the sun eclipse depicts a dragon & demon eating up the sun - taking away all the good vibes from the country. In eastern country, the eclipse depicts a death of an emperor. Some astrologers predicted that this eclipse will bring war.

There was a pregnant lady being told (by her elders) to stay in her room, curtained all the windows & chant prayers to protect her baby during the sun eclipse. They believed the sunlight would harm her baby - resulting the baby to deform, having unusual birthmark & premature birth.
A local well-known astrologist advised the people to fast during the sun eclipse (local time 8 - 10.30am) to collect more merits. It is believed that during these hours, the energy on earth are extremely low & negative. Thus, by fasting it could help to improve one's luck.
It was also stated that viewers will be in bad luck for 20 years if they managed to catch a glimpse of the eclipse!!

How true are the above statements?? Is it a belief in different cultures or ethnicity or is it purely a superstition?? Of course for myself, well-noted for being superstitious, stepped in to workplace before 8 & fast for that 2.5 hours. =) Luck improved?? We will see ;)