Mayan Long Count Calendar

After over 5,126 years, the Mayan long count calendar is coming to an end.  The long count was not the only calendar used by the Mayans.  They had two yearly calendars: the solar and the religious.  They also had a 52-year span called a calendar round.  My goal here is to give you a firm grasp of the Mayan system for calendars and help you further understand the significance of the long count.

The solar calendar lasted 365 days and was comprised of 18 20-day months with an additional 5 days at the end.  This calendar was known as the Haab and was based on astrology.

The religious calendar was 260 days long and consisted on 20 13-day months.  This calendar was known as the Tzolk’in.  The Mayans believed that every day was a new god whose behavior could be predicted by using the two yearly calendars.

These two calendars went together like meshed gears so that every day could be found using either calendar.  The days did not repeat for 52 years.  The first day of the first Haab (solar) calendar was the first day of the first Tzolk’in (religious) calendar; however, the first day of the second Haab calendar (the 366th day) was the 106th day of the second Tzolk’in calendar, because the Tzolk’in calendar had started year two on only the 261st day of the Haab calendar (our September).  Every 52 years this cycle would repeat and that 52-year span was referred to as the calendar round.

There are people who will say that the ending of the Mayan Long Count calendar is just like the end of one of our yearly calendars… that its ending means nothing except that you need to purchase another calendar.  These people are either fools, uneducated, or intentionally over-simplifying the truth.  The Mayans had yearly calendars – hell, they had two!  The long count signifies an age.  According to their legends, each age ended dramatically (one of which many believe was Noah’s flood).  There are a few websites that say one age ended in fire, another in wind, and another in water – one website even suggests that this age could end in earthquakes.  (However, it must be noted that I can find no documentation for this beyond a few un-sourced websites.)  Regardless, these are merely legends.  Also, the earth survived every time!

So, if anyone says something foolish to you like “It just means you need to buy another calendar” or “They probably ran out of rock to carve on,” you will know to pity their little minds.  The long count calendar is nothing like your yearly wall calendar at home, it is entirely different.  The Mayan Long Count is widely considered the most accurate time keeping system known to man.

The premise of the long count put simply is to add a number after every day of an age until you get to the last day.  In their counting system, the last day would look like this: 13,0,0,0,0.  They add another number for every day and this goes on for over 5000 years!  Imagine getting up in the morning and saying, “It’s day 153,783 and the weather is great!”

Now, after all these individual days being counted one-by-one, we are reaching the final day of the Mayan long count.  You can tell your great-great grandchildren that you were alive during the dawning of a new age!  It will be over 250 generations before the next Mayan long count ends.

You may also be interested in these articles:

• Who Predicted the End of the World in 2012, Nostradamus or the Mayans?
• Five Frightening Signs the World Will End in 2012

Mayan Calendar Predictions

Do you think the world will be coming to a complete stop? That in December 2012 there will be cataclysmic and maybe even transformative events taking place? Let’s take a quick look through the calendar that has been used by the Mayans dating all the way back to the 6th century BC.

The Mayan calendar is made up of two calendars combined. The Tzolkin has 260 days and the Haab has 365 days, these two combined form synchronized cycles of 52 Haabs, known as the Calendar Rounds. The Haab and Tzolkin are usually run for short term cycles of 13 to 20 days. There is another form of calendar used to count longer cycles, this calendar is called the Long Round calendar. Between these two Mayan calendars there have been many predictions derived from their complex system.

There are also nine writings, which contribute to the predictions made of the Mayan calendar. These nine writings by the Mayans that combine Mayan and Spanish beliefs that come from the late 15th/16th centuries, these writings show the most astounding predictions of the calendar, and what will happen in the world on 2012. It is the Chilam Balam. According to the Mayan calendar, on December 21, 2012 the world will witness a coincidence of multiple heavenly bodies in the same celestial longitude, meaning that the winter solstice, the galactic equator and the elliptical equator should become aligned.

The Mayan calendar predicts that astronomical occurrences are predicted to take place on December 21, 2012, such as the sun being aligned directly with the center of the Milky Way, if this were to happen whatever type of energy channels from the Milky Way to earth will definitely be disrupted on December 21, 2012 due to the alignment. If the alignment of the sun with the center of the Milky Way happens, as the Mayan’s calendar predicts, this will be an event that will happen for the first time in 26,000 years. Astronomers’ have said that the Mayans are correct in the prediction of astronomical events maybe taking place on such date.

One other interpretation derived from a prediction of the Mayan calendar is that, there have been four past sun cycles which have vanished at the end of their cycle, causing great destruction to the world. According to the calendar we are at the moment within the fifth sun cycle, which started 5,106 years ago, this sun is predicted to come to an end on December 21, 2012, in which case it is believed that it shall cause destruction just like the previous four sun cycles ends have.

However, some scientists believe that the destruction caused might not be the end of the world as we know it, but perhaps a form of destruction that will cause catastrophes within the world. Therefore, what will happen on December 21, 2012, no one can really say, these are mere predictions being derived from ancient calendars, although this being said, the Mayan calendar has in fact surprisingly correctly asserted on many events happening right to the exact date! What do you think will happen in 2012?

Mayan 2012 Predictions

What do the Mayan predictions regarding 2012 and animal deaths have in common?  Does the nearing 2012 date (winter solstice, December 21st 2012) have anything to do with these eerie deaths?

5000 dead blackbirds in Arkansas and another 500 in Louisiana plus 100,000 dead drum fish in the Arkansas river – and that is just in the last few days. Odd events around new year’s day are always going to be seen by some as dark omens and portents of doom – and it is not just the dead animals, there is “biblical” flooding in Australia and an earthquake in Indiana of all places. So, are animals truly killing themselves? And are they doing so en masse?  And if so, what does this have to do with the Mayan predictions regarding 2012?

• Hundreds of Snapper (1/5/2011)

In New Zealand, so many dead Snapper were floating in the water that boaters described the scene as a “carpet” of dead Snapper on the water.  Fisheries officials were trying to discover why all the Snapper were dead, but they have found no answer.

• 500 Blackbirds (1/4/2011)

Approximately 500 dead red-wing blackbirds, starlings, and grackles were found dead in Louisiana only a few short days after about 5,000 fell from the sky at the turn of the new year in nearby Arkansas.  One wildlife official said that some of the birds died from hitting a power line.  Well, then why are the rest of the birds dying … a perverse sense of camaraderie?  Come on people – I may not know why the birds are dying, but  DO know it isn’t because of a power line!

• 5000 Blackbirds (12/31/2010)

At approximately midnight on new years eve, 5000 red-wing blackbirds and starlings began falling from the sky.  Scientists and animal experts have found the cause of death to be blunt force trauma – but that can be explained by the animals hitting the ground.  There was supposedly a loud noise just before the animals began to fall, but no one can offer up a concrete answer as to why 5,000 blackbirds are suddenly dead and littering the landscape of Arkansas.

• 100,000 Drum Fish (12/30/2010)

Just 100 miles away from the 5000 dead blackbirds and just a day earlier, between 80,000 and 100,000 dead drum fish carpeted a 20 mile stretch of the Arkansas river.  Investigating officials have said that about 95% of the dead fish were drum fish.  The fact that the majority of the dead fish are from one species has led some to speculate on a species specific desease, but no such cause has yet to be found.

• Pelicans, Whales, Flamingo, Sardines… (2009)

In Chile, thousands of dead penguins were found in March, then millions of sardines washed up upon the shore, then 2000 unhatched Andean Flamingo were left to die by their parents, then 60 Pelicans were found dead.  The animals of Chile had a rough 2009.  Mayan Predictions Source: Time

In New Zealand and Australia, Pilot Whales, Sperm Whales, and dolphins beached themselves in record numbers.  About 450 over the span of a few months.  Rescuers were able to save only a few.  Mayan Predictions Sources: Time, Guardian.co.uk

• American Honey Bee (ongoing)

“Colony collapse” is a recent phrase.  It has been used to explain the decline of the American Honey Bee.  Why create this word?  Because it helps scientists explain the unexplainable.  And it is a bunch of crap.  There have been talks about viruses and disease, but truly no one knows why the bees are dying.  In 2009, according to Time, bee-colony deaths were at 29% in the United States.  That number climbed to 34% in 2010.

So, are animal (and insect if you add in the bees) deaths on the rise?  And are these deaths intentional?

Many fear these events are foreshadows of the Mayan prediction regarding 2012.  Some even see these as signs of the end of the world.  I do not consider the end of the Mayan longcount calendar to be a doomsday event.  The Mayans did seem to see it that way either.  However, fears are on the rise.

The Mayans claim that December 21st 2012 will be the end of this age and the beginning of a new age.  As this 2012 date draws ever near, many are wondering if these animal deaths are related to 2012.  Are they a dark omen of things to come or Armageddon or the end of the world?

Place a comment below and tell us all what you think.