Cicada Trivia and Lore!

Language Fluency
Cicadas are called semi in Japan, cigale in France, cigarra in Spain. 

About Cicadas
Cicadas spend most of their life underground.  Prior to this spring, they've resided a foot or more below the surface, surviving on the juices of roots and staying nearly stationary, except to occasionally shed their armor. They'll eventually emerge en mass on consecutive nights when the soil temperature is approximately 63 degrees F , but the air temperature needs to be around 68 F for them to lay eggs.  For many predators, cicadas are tasty, apparently, cicadas adapted to predators by arising from the earth in large numbers so that at least some can survive the predators. Their strategy is to overwhelm any would-be predators by popping out of the ground by the millions (predator satiation). This assures that a new cycle will occur.

In contrast to that of the nymph, the life of adult cicadas is very short, lasting only a few weeks. After mating, the adult female cicada lays its eggs. It does this by piercing plant stems with its ovipositor (egg-laying spike at the tip of the abdomen) and inserting the eggs into the slits it has made. The eggs hatch into small wingless cicadas which are known as nymphs. They fall to the ground and burrow below the surface. Here they live on the sap from plant roots for a period which may last several years. They shed their skin at intervals as they grow.

When the nymph reaches full size it digs its way to the surface with its front legs, which are specially adapted for digging. It generally surfaces about nightfall in late spring or early summer. The nymph then climbs on to a tree trunk or other object and sheds its skin for the last time. The fully-winged adult cicada which emerges leaves its old empty nymph-skin behind.

They are the Rip Van Winkles of the insect kingdom!

Other Cicada Festivals, Named as Such (anyway):

PENNSYLVANIA - http://www.mtgretna.com/cicada/

THAILAND - http://www.city-now.com/calendar/detail.php3?id=811&event=1

References
http://www.mariemontschools.org/halsall/cicadaparty.htm
http://www.bayweekly.com/year04/issuexii19/kidsxii19.html
http://www.cincinnati.com/freetime/cicadas/cicada_outdoors.html
http://www.sciencenewsforkids.org/articles/20040519/TZWorksheet.asp

Hush Little Baby
It has been reported that in China, discarded skins or the actual cicada nymphs  -- all of which are silent --  are collected and ground up. A tea made from these silent phase cicada skins is given to noisy, crying babies, in hopes of quieting them . People believe that a noisy baby will quiet down  just as the cicada nymph is silent while the adult cicada is raucous.

What's That sound?
Similarly, the shed skins are collected and prepared to be used to treat “ringing in the ears.”

Cicadas Bring Good Luck
Some French people consider cicadas to be good luck. Good-luck charms in the shape of cicadas are popular items there.

Rebirth, Renew, Regenerate
The cicada nymph burrowing out of the ground has been a symbol of rebirth or reincarnation in a number of societies. For example, some Native American tribes believed that these cicadas had the power to renew life and made a medicine from them which was used to treat battle wounds.

Cicadas, the Great Protector
The cicada is a most powerful emblem of immortality and amulet against politics. It is also a symbol of happiness and youthfulness of appearance. Displaying a cicada image in the living room is said to protect people from danger, unfaithful friends and enemies. It is especially beneficial for those who require protection against jealous colleagues and scheming bosses. Place a cicada on your office table or corner of your home work area where it is said to work best.

Cicadas are also said to be a potent symbol of immortality. In addition, the cicada is also highly recommended for newlyweds and couples trying to have children. Couples looking to rekindle that spark of romance in their lives again or those who may now be trying to have children should place a cicada (can be a statue of piece of jewelry) in their home.

Also those who may be feeling like lady luck has constantly been deserting them may want a cicada -- real or bejeweled!

The Socrates Connection
In Plato's Phaedrus, Socrates talks to a religious bishop and says that cicadas were once humans so obsessed with music that they forgot to eat or drink and wasted away, then were turned into cicadas by the Greek goddesses (Muses) who rule over the arts and sciences.

Pilgrims Fright and Talk Like an Egyptian
The Pilgrims dubbed the cicada a "locust" when it first appeared to them in frightening numbers at Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1634. The Pilgrims were terrified by their sudden appearance and astounding numbers .  The insect  reminded them of the migratory locust, a species of grasshopper that ruined crops in Egypt in Biblical times and still is a threat to crops in many parts of the world.  The eerie call of the loud cicada can even be said to sound like 'Pha-a-a-a-a-raoh'.
 

Get Knocked Down But Get Up Again
The cicada is also symbolic of a persons ability to rise again after falling.

How the Earth Was Rescued
In Navajo mythology, the cicada-god fought the birds and rescued Earth for humans.  It is told that for their sins, the gods expelled the Insect People from the first world by sending a wall of water at them from all directions. Seeking safety, the Insect People flew up into the second world. A cliff swallow guided them through a hole in the sky to safety.  Later, in the fourth world, descendents of these people were likewise punished. They escaped the floodwaters by climbing onto a fast-growing reed. The Cicada dug an entrance into the fifth world, which is where people live today.

Jade Cicadas
In Mayan, Aztec, and Chinese cultures, carved Jade cicadas were placed on the tongue of a corpse prior to burial so that the deceased would some day re-animate and/or go on to better things just as a cicada nymph comes out of the ground and sheds its nymph-skin.

Let's Go Fly a Cicada
The Japanese, famous for their beautiful and intricate kites, frequently create kites to resemble cicadas.

Beauty is in the Ear of the Beholder
In China, male cicadas are kept in cages in people’s homes so that the homeowners can enjoy the cicadas’ songs.

Hey, Weatherman!
When you hear the first cicada of the summer, expect the first frost of the year in exactly 90 days.

As a Totem (adapted from http://www.sayahda.com/cyc1.html )
Cicadas have wide set bulging red (or sometimes blue) eyes, orange veined wings and short antennae.  There are two main types of cicadas.  One spends 17 years as a nymph feeding on tree roots while living underground and the other lives for 13 years underground.  As if on some cosmic signal, each species of cicada emerge at the same time as other cicadas of their species. The cicadas burrow up from the inside the ground, change into adults, mate, lay eggs and then die - and another generation of cicadas doesn't emerge until 13 or 17 years later.   Cicadas do have a circle of life.

Those who have cicada as a totem are often in a hurry to discover who they truly are. Driven to understand their personal soul and their earthly  journey they can feel like they are running out of time and will stop at nothing to discover their true inner self.   Anyone in a relationship with a person who carries this totem must learn to move quickly or they will always feel like they are tagging behind their partner.  This in turn can cause insecurity and instability within the relationship.

The 13 to 17 year cycles of the cicada are very significant to those attached to this symbolic totem.  Since the cicada has a short life-span we must learn how to live each moment to the fullest.   It is reported that major changes or a death-rebirth process usually occurs within the individuals with the cicada totem every 13 to 17 years.  

Cicadas are best known for their never-ending songs.  The male cicada makes the loudest sound in the insect world.  By vibrating the ribbed plates in a pair of amplifying cavities at the base of the abdomen their songs can be heard up to a half a mile away.  Communication through sound is one of the things the cicada teaches us. Sound can have pleasing effects on the psyche but it can also have the opposite effect. Cicada people need to be aware of and to keep in mind how the sound and pitch of their own voice can effect others.

Because the cicada spends most of its life underground it is associated with the unseen or hidden.  To discover hidden truths a person is often required to look beneath the surface. Cicadas teach us how to delve into the underworld with bravery and without fear to uncover secrets that lie beneath the surface.  Those with this totem are exploratory in nature and should call upon the cicada whenever there is a need to understand the truth about reality and illusion - to clear some of the smoke and mirrors of life.

Coyote, the Trickster, Gets Tricked Himself!
A Zuni Legend:
Once upon a time, a cicada singing from a pine bough excited the admiration of a coyote, who asked that he might be taught the song. He was not an apt pupil, but in the end, and after a fashion, he learned the tune. On the way home, the proud singing coyote stumbled in a gopher’s hole. Between the shock of the fall and the dust in his eyes and nose, every detail of the tune was forgotten. Twice an accident occurred, and twice the coyote returned to his teacher perched upon the pine bough. The second time, the distrustful cicada had resolved to take no more risks, but rather to teach the coyote a lesson of another kind. Strongly gripping the bark, he swelled and strained until his back split open and he was able to slip out of his old skin, which still retained its shape and position. Just as it is recognized that cicada nymphs climb the nearest available tree, and begin to shed their nymph exoskeleton. Choosing a suitable quartz pebble, the crafty cicada popped the stone into his skin and flew to a neighboring tree. Free of his old skin, his  wings  inflated  with fluid and his new adult cicada skin began to harden. So, there on the pine branch, he left his empty skin, now holding a quartz pebble, and gave back no answer to the requests of the returning coyote. Soon the patience of the coyote was exhausted, and with a angry leap he seized the hollow cicada skin and splintered his teeth on the stone hidden inside. The teeth in the middle of his coyote jaw were crushed far down into his gums, and all of his descendants, even to this day, have inherited his broken teeth. So also, when cicadas venture out on a sunny morning to sing, it is frequently their custom to protect themselves by leaving their counterparts on the trees.