
According to holidayinsights.com, the Mayan (Meso American) culture, which dates back about 6000 years, was the most highly advanced culture of its time in Central America. One of their areas of specialty was astronomy. The Mayans developed a calendar which began at 3114 BC and ended on December 21, 2012. Ancient Mayan stone tablets have been interpreted to predict the end of humanity as of the end of the calendar. Which of course was today.
Holiday Insights offers some of its own ancient stone tablet translations that might help explain the ending date on the calendar, including writings they interpreted as saying, “Can we stop now? I need an Espresso," and “We've gotta stop here. The Marlin are biting out in the Gulf of Mexico." Really, they had to stop somewhere, didn’t they? Even Hallmark calendars only extend so far.
December 21st was also noted to be National Look on the Bright Side Day. If the doomsday predictions had come true, just think how ironic that would be. Given that it is also the winter solstice in the Northern hemisphere, and thus the day with the shortest amount of daylight in the year, we could use a “bright” side day, for sure.
Now, if the world had ceased to exist, I wouldn’t be poking fun at the predictions today. I wouldn’t be doing anything today, as a matter of fact. But here we are, so onward we go.
But wait! Stop the presses! I just looked up a Wikipedia article that says “the cataclysmic or transformative events” are believed to occur on the 21st or the 23rd of this month. Dang! Well, if the world ends Sunday, won’t I be embarrassed. Or not. Just to be safe, I’m holding off on purchasing my 2013 calendar.
Let’s hope the doomsayers are wrong, if for no other reason than that December 24th is National Chocolate Day.
Wouldn’t want to miss that!
Maggie