At sunrise on Friday, December 21, 2012, an era in the Long Count calendar of the Maya came to an end. Many different groups of people around the world expected the end of days catastrophes, and the dawn of a new, more spiritual era. However, the world did not end on that day as expected.
Now I know why!
Photo: REUTERS/Mariana Bazo
On December 20, 2012, at a beach in Lima, Peruvian shamans performed a ritual to prevent the end of the world. The shamans performed several rituals to ward off the forces that would bring about the end of the world.
Should not we thank these Peruvian Shamans for keeping us all alive today?
The astronomical event known as the solstice occurs when the Sun reaches its highest or lowest excursion point relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. This event occurs twice a year.
On the day of the solstice, at local solar noon, the Sun appears to have reached its highest or lowest annual altitude in the sky above the horizon.
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For any place other than the tropics the solstice day in summer is the longest day of the year, and the solstice day in winter is the shortest day of the year.
During the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, also known as the Southern solstice that occurs on December 21st to 22nd, the Sun at noon would appear at its lowest altitude above the horizon, namely, at its southernmost point in the sky. On the other hand, in the Southern Hemisphere, the winter solstice also known as the Northern solstice occurs on June 20th to 21st each year. On this day, the Sun appears at its northernmost point in the sky.
The axis of rotation of the earth directed towards the same point in the heavens is the result of its axial tilt and the gyroscopic influences of its daily rotation. As the Earth orbits around the Sun, the polar hemisphere facing the Sun encountering summer would after six months face away from the Sun to endure the winter.
The solstices last only a moment in time. This year, winter solstice would occur today, December 21, 2012 at 11:12 AM UTC (6:12 AM EST; 4:42 PM IST).
Worldwide, interpretation of the winter solstice varies from culture to culture. However, all recognize the rebirth of the Earth that involves religious festivals, rituals, and other celebrations. The following lists a few observance believed to be directly linked to the winter solstice.
This brings us to the Doomsday Prophecy attributed by some to the Mayan Calendar. Though the Mayans never predicted that the world would end today, December 21, 2012, some doomsday soothsayers have been touting all these days that around 80 percent of the world population would be wiped out on this fateful day. Many who believe these scare mongers have left their homes; they have traveled to places where they think their chances of survival will be better.
Ten hours ago, I read an article titled “Global doomsday hot spots draw believers, revelers” by Vanessa Gera where she describes some of the world’s key doomsday destinations and other places marked by fear and fascination.
NASA is so sure the world won’t come to an end on December 21, 2012, that they already released day before yesterday a “Didn’t We Say So!” video titled “ScienceCasts: Why the World Didn’t End Yesterday” on December 11th, itself.
Rash decisions motivated by intense fears over apocalyptic predictions are nothing new. In 2011, Christian broadcaster Harold Camping promised that the world would come to an end. Embracing his claims, some of his followers sold all of their belongings in anticipation, only to find themselves disappointed and broke. Another doomsday prediction — the dreaded Mayan apocalypse — is slated for Dec. 21. And one Chinese man, Lu Zhenghai, is building a massive ship to ensure that he and his family are protected.
This photo taken on November 24, 2012 shows the unfinished boat built by Lu Zhenhai, a man from Urumqi, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, afraid that his home would be submerged in a doomsday flood in 2012. Lu said he was worried that the apocalypse would happen in 2012, so he decided to invest all his money, about 160,500 USD into building what he hopes will be his own indestructible ark. Credit: AFP/Getty Images
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China News Service (CNS) reports that the man, who resides in the northwest region of the country, has poured his life savings into building the boat. So far, Zhenghai has spent $160,000 on the vessel, which already measures 65 feet and will inevitably weigh 80 tons (it was apparently built with 10 tons of timber and an additional 60 tons of steel).
In an interview with CNS, Zhenghai explained his reasoning for creating the ship, which he commenced in 2010 when his fears over a monumental flood apparently took form. The Daily Maildubs the boat the man’s very own “apocalypse-proof ‘Noah’s Ark.’”
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Credit: AFP/Getty Images
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“I’m afraid that when the end of the world comes in 2012, flood waters will destroy my house,” he said, according to a translation by The Huffington Post. ”So I took all my savings and invested in the construction of this boat. When the time comes, everyone can take refuge in it.”
With the alleged Mayan destruction just one month away, the ship is reportedly incomplete due to lack of funds. While there is more work to do, Zhenghai claims he won’t be distraught if a flood doesn’t arrive in the coming weeks. After all, the vessel can be used as a ferry and he hopes, at the least, that it will be revered as a tourist attraction worth seeing.
Credit: AFP/Getty Images
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The creation of the modern-day ark comes as scientists attempt to debunk the notion that the Mayans were predicting the end of the world. The Houston Museum of Science, among other institutions, has taken explicit aim at these doomsday theories.
Impressions 