Celestial "Chih" Traditional Cache

This cache is part of the Eclipse Coin Trail, celebrating a weekend of activities in Columbia and Lexington, SC, which culminate in a rare solar eclipse. The eclipse will occur Monday, August 21, 2017, at 2:41 pm and the Midlands will be one of the best places to witness this historic event. The total eclipse will last 2:36 minutes.

Celestial refers to something that relates to the sky or outer space. This year's solar eclipse is certainly the celestial event of the century - the first total solar eclipse in the continental US since 1979! Interestingly, the ancient Chinese thought solar eclipses occurred when a legendary celestial dragon devours the Sun. The Chinese term for eclipse was "chih" which also means "to eat". The people would bang drums and pots (anything to make loud noises) to frighten the dragon away. Reportedly, in the nineteenth century, the Chinese navy fired cannons to scare the dragon. This is a traditional lock'n lock hidden in a celestial spot. The cache is placed with permission from the business owner.