The Story of Rahu Chab Chann

It was here. The day had finally come where the moon was going to turn blood red again--a total lunar eclipse. Rathana’s family had been preparing a celebration for this event all day. Families were going to gather and enjoy the music and plenty of food and drinks before the dull, gray moon was to transform into a bloody reddish hue. Rathana, a curious young boy, wondered why this day was so meaningful to his family and other families in the community.

“Lok-tha,” Rathana called out to his grandfather. “What are we even celebrating? What is the big deal about the moon turning red?”

“Ah, I see your mother hasn’t told you the story yet,” Rathana’s grandfather replied.

“Story?” Rathana inquired. “Will it tell me why the moon changes its color to red?”

“We do not care that the moon turns red,” the grandfather reminded his great-grandson. “Actually, the moon itself does not even change its color. Well, first, let me tell you the story of why we call this event Rabu Chab Chann.”

Picture of Rahu, the demon. Web Source

Rahu was known as being the king of demons and all evil things. He exists as just a head with intimidating round eyes, a big and ugly nose, and claw-like hands. He does not have a body. Now, Rahu was not born like this. Actually, he inflicted this destruction of his body on himself because of his corrupt behavior.

Rahu had heard about an elixir of immortality that was at stake in the unending struggle between the Hindu gods, known as the Devas, and demons, called the Asuras. This battle was known as the Churning of the Ocean of Milk.

Vishnu, one of the gods, was dedicated to protecting and preserving the world. He wanted to keep peace, so he did whatever he thought was right. Of course he didn’t want the Asuras to procure the elixir of immortality because then, the world would be in danger. Unfortunately, the elixir got into the hands of the Asuras at the end of the battle. Vishnu, however, came up with a brilliant plan so that the Asuras would no longer possess this special elixir of life.

Vishu decided to alter himself into an Apsara, which is a beautiful dancer, to distract the Asuras. No one would take their eyes off a beautiful woman. He thought this would be the perfect plan to steal the elixir from the Asuras’ side and administer it to the Devas. Vishnu did just that. However, Rahu was watching from afar. Not distracted by the Apsara.

Once Vishnu acquired the elixir, Rahu came up with a scheme himself. He disguised himself as one of the gods in hopes of drinking the elixir of immortality. Vishnu gave four Devas a sip of eternal life and Rahu was next in line. As soon as Rahu was taking a sip from the chalice, Vishnu received a message from the sun and the moon. They revealed to him that Rahu was not a real god; he was a demon.

Vishnu was angered, so he decapitated Rahu. Rahu’s body dropped to the ground, but his head remained alive because the elixir of immortality lingered in his mouth. Nothing could be done on the Devas’ side to resolve the issue, but ever since then, Rahu continually attempts revenge on the sun and the moon for informing Vishnu of the truth.

“Now, any time Rahu encounters the sun and the moon, he tries to trap them in his mouth. But he does not have a body, and even though he tries to swallow them, he cannot actually eat them,” Rathana’s grandfather finished telling the story. “That is why we see the solar eclipse and lunar eclipse.”

Rathana had a look of confusion on his face.

“So tonight, when we see the lunar eclipse, the moon will change into a dark red color. That is because Rahu swallowed the moon, which is why the moon seems like it’s disappeared. But Rahu doesn’t have a stomach to trap the moon, so it comes back out and we see the moon again,” the grandfather explained to Rathana.

Rathana’s grandfather continued, “We gather together tonight hoping that Rahu doesn’t swallow the moon for a long time. Because if the moon is gone for a long time, that means we probably won’t have a good season for harvesting rice and other crops.”

“My parents also told me that if you make a wish during the eclipse, the gods will make it come true,” the grandfather added.

Rathana was amazed by the story of Rahu Chab Chann. That is why a lunar eclipse occurs. He began thinking of the perfect wish to make.

Author’s Note: The story comes from the Khmer tale called “Rahu Chab Chann,” which translates to Rahu swallows or eats the moon. The tale tells the story of how and why we observe a lunar eclipse and a solar eclipse. I included the original telling of it, which involves a battle between the Hindu Devas and Asuras for the water of immortality. The battle Churning of the Ocean of Milk mentioned in the story is depicted through bas relief at Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Vishnu creates a distraction to steal it and Rahu disguises himself as a god in order to drink it. The moon and sun inform Vishnu of this, so he cuts Rahu’s head off, but the magical water is still in his mouth, so his head lives. Rahu gets revenge on the sun and moon by trying to eat them whenever he encounters them.
I just added in two characters -- the grandfather and his grandson -- to introduce the story of “Rahu Chab Chann.” Additionally, it’s been said that the length of a lunar eclipse signifies whether the harvesting season is good or bad in Khmer culture, so I wanted to include some context about that in my story. If a total lunar eclipse is short, then that means there will be a good season for harvesting crops. Also, some people believe that making a wish during a lunar eclipse will make it come true. I hope you enjoyed my version of the story! Thanks for reading. :)
*Lok-tha = phonetic pronunciation of Khmer word "grandpa"
Bibliography: Article containing "Rahu Chab Chann" by Arthur Nguyen Dao. Web Source "The Solar and Lunar Eclipses (Legend Theory)" Website: Visit Angkor
Banner Image: Phases of the moon during a lunar eclipse. Web Source

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse