Oh, how we love our rainbows on North Caicos! The rain comes suddenly, and as we dash to shut the weather-side windows, we note if the sun still shines. If yes, the next dash is to the camera or phone for a shot to share of those glorious water droplets across the sky.
We see rainbows frequently, too. I’m not sure of my science, but something about the angle of light or the sweep of the horizon makes this island Rainbow Central. One morning this week, as bands of rain made their way across us, we counted four rainbows in a row!
Yes, we know it’s all a matter of refraction through water drops, but rainbows are still magical. Rainbows tickle the imagination. The Greeks saw Aphrodite being carried along the rainbow by the goddess Iris. In Genesis the rainbow is a covenant of mercy between God and Noah. And then there’s this:
“Most of us have heard the legend that if you can get to the end of the rainbow, you’ll find a pot of gold; this is an old European tradition. But in some African mythology, the rainbow is a giant snake that brings bad luck to the house it touches. Many peoples have seen rainbows as bridges to heaven. According to a medieval German tradition, presumably based on the account in Genesis, no rainbows would be seen 40 years before the end of the world. Every time you saw a rainbow, you could be sure the world would last at least another 40 years.” (From “The Weather Book” by Jack Williams, copyright USA TODAY)
To all these legends and beliefs, we on North Caicos add our own: This island is the treasure at the end of the rainbow.
We see rainbows frequently, too. I’m not sure of my science, but something about the angle of light or the sweep of the horizon makes this island Rainbow Central. One morning this week, as bands of rain made their way across us, we counted four rainbows in a row!
Yes, we know it’s all a matter of refraction through water drops, but rainbows are still magical. Rainbows tickle the imagination. The Greeks saw Aphrodite being carried along the rainbow by the goddess Iris. In Genesis the rainbow is a covenant of mercy between God and Noah. And then there’s this:
“Most of us have heard the legend that if you can get to the end of the rainbow, you’ll find a pot of gold; this is an old European tradition. But in some African mythology, the rainbow is a giant snake that brings bad luck to the house it touches. Many peoples have seen rainbows as bridges to heaven. According to a medieval German tradition, presumably based on the account in Genesis, no rainbows would be seen 40 years before the end of the world. Every time you saw a rainbow, you could be sure the world would last at least another 40 years.” (From “The Weather Book” by Jack Williams, copyright USA TODAY)
To all these legends and beliefs, we on North Caicos add our own: This island is the treasure at the end of the rainbow.