2017-08-04 Fri

Did you know there’s actually an International Owl Awareness Day? That’s right!!

4th August of every year is celebrated as Owl Awareness Day! The purpose of the day is - as the name suggests - to create awareness about these mysterious birds of the night. Various events and programs are arranged all over to the world that includes excursions into the forest to study these birds in their natural habitat.

Let’s get to know more about Owls and their roles in different cultures:

Owls, the nocturnal birds of intelligence and the symbol of knowledge and wisdom, are solitary creatures that are generally associated with bad omens and death. Because of their big round eyes and stony demonic stares, they are both feared and venerated amongst many cultures across the world.

According to Hindu mythology, Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Chamunda ride an owl (their Vahanas). In the mythology of ancient Greece, Athena the Goddess of Wisdom is associated with an owl and is often depicted or represented by an owl in the art.

In Judaism, the female night demon Lilith is described in the company of the owl. Mayan death God Hunahau is often depicted with an owl’s head. In the pre –Aztec civilization of ancient Mexico (Teotihuacan), though considered as a bad omen, the owl was the sacred animal of the rain god.

Among Australian Aborigines, owls are the spirits of women and are sacred. In some cultures, they are considered to carry the spirits and souls from this mortal world to the realm of heaven. In some religions, the feathers of the owls are considered to be sacred and their eyes are believed to be watchful, observing human life and reporting it back to the gods.

In popular culture, you all must be familiar with the wise owl in the Tootsie Pop commercial or the owl of the Winnie the Pooh series or even our Hedwig, Errol and Hermes of Harry Potter series!

But the fears and the superstitions that surround these creatures of the dark night have often endangered them and their survival in the wild. This day aims to do away with the superstitions and help us know more about the owls.

Did you know, In India, owls have been depicted on Punch Marked Coinage?
Depicted in the image alongside is a Magadha - Maurya Silver Punch Mark Coin which depicts an Owl Facing front (circled in red). Further, coins of the Indo-Greek rulers too have owls on them, venerating the Goddess Athena.