In Yoro, Honduras, fish have been falling from the sky for more than a century. The phenomenon happens up to four times each year.
The people of Yoro hold an annual festival on varying dates, to celebrate the rain of fish. The event happens with the first major rainfall in May or June. After the rain, what’s left are tons of live fishes
This has attracted the attention of scientists, and they’ve offered theories.
The first is that the fish don’t fall from the sky but are lifted from nearby ponds, rivers, and lakes by large rainstorms.
Another explanation is that waterspouts —large sea tornadoes, are the cause. While the waterspouts don’t suck up water, they can lift small animals off their habitat into the air.
But, there’s another explanation, an unscientific one:
Spanish priest Father José Manuel de Jesús Subirana was a notable figure in the history of Christianity in Honduras. He arrived and died in Honduras as a missionary.
There’s a legend that he saw how poor the people are and prayed 3 days and nights for God to help provide food for them.
After the days of praying, God took note of his petition and what followed was a dark sky, and many fishes falling from the sky. The wonder has repeated every year since then.
What science has are theories, and what the people of Yoro, Honduras have is a belief, but just one thing is certain: fish fall from the sky, and it’s a strange phenomenon.
Credit: Apotheosis of Knowledge