Twice a year, Hawai'i experiences a strange moment where the sun appears to be exactly overhead & anything that is completely vertical casts no shadow. Let's learn about Lāhainā Noon, subsolar points & 'Kau ka lā i ka lolo', meaning "the sun rests on the brains."
Subsolar points are where the sun's parallel rays hit the Earth at exactly 90° at its zenith. Because of the axial tilt of the Earth, it travels around the tropics in a zig-zag pattern, passing each point twice a year.
The "zero shadow" phenomenon is only true for perfectly vertical straight-sided objects, but it's trippy to look at. The State Museum of Natural and Cultural History of Hawai'i ran a contest to come up with a name & landed on 'Lāhainā' which means "cruel sun" in Hawai'ian.
But there's an older term: 'Kau ka lā i ka lolo' meaning "the sun rests on the brains." During this time, a person's 'aka' ("shadow") retreated into their head/brain; a brief moment of union with our constant dark companion. It was also a moment when the masculine morning & feminine evening met.
imagesofoldhawaii.com
I can't speak to the traditional beliefs about it, but I can say that it's a neat reminder of how our brains use context cues like shadows to ground objects in reality. When we experience a moment that doesn't fit our mental model, we 'glitch out' & well... "the sun rests on the brains" FITS.
If you want to read more, see more photos, and plan your trip to be at the subsolar point:
www.lovebigisland.com