Lluvia de Peces
Encyclopedia
Lluvia de Peces or Rain of Fish is a phenomenon that has been occurring for more than a century on a yearly basis in the country of Honduras
.
Folklore
. It occurs in the Departamento de Yoro, between the months of May and July.
Witnesses of this phenomenon state that it begins with a dark cloud in the sky followed by lightning, thunder, strong winds and heavy rain for two to three hours. Once the rain has stopped, hundreds of living fish are found on the ground. People take the fish home to cook and eat them.
A popular song: "Conozca Honduras" (Know Honduras) says:
Since 1998 a festival known as "Festival de la Lluvia de Peces" (Festival of the Rain of Fishes) is celebrated every year in the city of Yoro
, Departamento de Yoro, Honduras .
On July 26, 2006 a Honduran TV news program, Abriendo Brecha made a report about this phenomenon, saying that the Rain of Fish has been occurring twice a year lately.
A Honduran newspaper "El Heraldo" published about the documentary film to be produced by Lion TV about this phenomenon
. The most likely source of the fish is the Atlantic Ocean, about 200km (140 miles) away. This explanation is seen as improbable as it requires the unlikely coincidence of waterspouts collecting fish in the open sea every year in May - June and transporting it directly to Yoro.
An alternative story claims that the fish are not sea water fish, but fresh water fish, and that they swim from a nearby river into a subterranean water current. Some of the fish then leave this current and appear on the ground inland. It is claimed that in the 1970s National Geographic sent some professionals to report on this phenomenon. They discovered that all the fish were approximately the same size, around 6 inches (15.2 cm), and completely blind. The experts identified the species but found no record of it in any surrounding bodies of water. Their theory was that these fish are from underground rivers, never exposed to light and thus blind.
An esoteric institution tries to explain this phenomenon according to its own teachings.
. He visited Honduras
from 1856-1864, and upon encountering so many poor people, prayed for 3 days and 3 nights asking God for a miracle to help the poor people by providing food. The Rain of Fish has occurred ever since .
The phenomenon is also quoted in recent appeals by missionaries for funds to alleviate poverty in Honduras.
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
.
History and background
The Rain of Fish is common in HonduranHonduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
Folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
. It occurs in the Departamento de Yoro, between the months of May and July.
Witnesses of this phenomenon state that it begins with a dark cloud in the sky followed by lightning, thunder, strong winds and heavy rain for two to three hours. Once the rain has stopped, hundreds of living fish are found on the ground. People take the fish home to cook and eat them.
A popular song: "Conozca Honduras" (Know Honduras) says:
"Donde hay lluvia de peces cual milagro celestial"
(Where there is rain of fish, like a heavenly miracle)
Since 1998 a festival known as "Festival de la Lluvia de Peces" (Festival of the Rain of Fishes) is celebrated every year in the city of Yoro
Yoro
Yoro is the capital city of the Yoro department of Honduras....
, Departamento de Yoro, Honduras .
On July 26, 2006 a Honduran TV news program, Abriendo Brecha made a report about this phenomenon, saying that the Rain of Fish has been occurring twice a year lately.
A Honduran newspaper "El Heraldo" published about the documentary film to be produced by Lion TV about this phenomenon
Explanation
The explanation generally offered for the rain of fish is meteorogical, in terms of strong winds or waterspouts, as for other accounts of raining animalsRaining animals
Raining animals is a rare meteorological phenomenon in which flightless animals "rain" from the sky. Such occurrences have been reported from many countries throughout history. One hypothesis offered to explain this phenomenon is that strong winds traveling over water sometimes pick up creatures...
. The most likely source of the fish is the Atlantic Ocean, about 200km (140 miles) away. This explanation is seen as improbable as it requires the unlikely coincidence of waterspouts collecting fish in the open sea every year in May - June and transporting it directly to Yoro.
An alternative story claims that the fish are not sea water fish, but fresh water fish, and that they swim from a nearby river into a subterranean water current. Some of the fish then leave this current and appear on the ground inland. It is claimed that in the 1970s National Geographic sent some professionals to report on this phenomenon. They discovered that all the fish were approximately the same size, around 6 inches (15.2 cm), and completely blind. The experts identified the species but found no record of it in any surrounding bodies of water. Their theory was that these fish are from underground rivers, never exposed to light and thus blind.
An esoteric institution tries to explain this phenomenon according to its own teachings.
Father Subirana miracle
Many people believe this phenomenon occurs because of Father José Manuel Subirana, a Spanish Catholic missionary and considered by many to be a saintSaint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
. He visited Honduras
Honduras
Honduras is a republic in Central America. It was previously known as Spanish Honduras to differentiate it from British Honduras, which became the modern-day state of Belize...
from 1856-1864, and upon encountering so many poor people, prayed for 3 days and 3 nights asking God for a miracle to help the poor people by providing food. The Rain of Fish has occurred ever since .
The phenomenon is also quoted in recent appeals by missionaries for funds to alleviate poverty in Honduras.