On a beach outside Havana, three Guatemalan sages conducted a ceremony that involved burning wood resin, seeds, fruits, and flowers to signify the conclusion of a Mayan calendar cycle, which has mistakenly been viewed by some as a herald of an impending apocalypse.
Praying in their indigenous language and raising their hands to the sky, they honored each offering with a kiss before casting them into the flames or waves to seek the gods’ blessings.
Pedro Celestino Yac Noj shared, “We are at a moment of profound connection. We came here to share the sacred fire and make offerings to mother Earth and the sea.”
The ritual occurred in Bacuranao, located 20 kilometers east of Cuba’s capital, just two weeks before December 21, 2012, the date marking the end of a cycle lasting over 5,000 years in the Mayan calendar.
Doomsday theories linked to this significant date have spawned countless books, TV shows, and at least one blockbuster Hollywood disaster film, yet Celestino clarified that the calendar’s conclusion shouldn’t invoke panic.
“The 21st is for giving thanks and gratitude, while the 22nd embraces the onset of a new cycle, a new dawn,” he noted.
Clad in black trousers and a blue shirt, with a red-and-white kerchief atop his head, he guided the ceremony steps from the shores near the Straits of Florida, surrounded by flower circles representing the elemental forces: white for wind, red for fire, yellow for earth, and purple for sea.
Rosalina Tuyuc Velazquez and Maria Faviana Cochoy gathered offerings of fruits, vegetables, cigars, and colorful candles from the approximately 200 attendees eager to participate. The sages added herbs such as basil, laurel, and thyme to the fire, infusing the air with a delightful spicy scent.
To prevent “negative energy” from disrupting the event, attendees were requested to switch off cell phones, cameras, and recording devices. Many participants knelt in a circle, eyes closed and arms raised in prayer.
Invited by Cuba’s Casa de las Americas cultural center, the Guatemalans performed the ceremony with purpose.
Celestino explained that they selected yesterday for this rite as “the day of movement, symbolized by the holy serpent, the energy guiding the lives of rulers, the famous, and the government.”
by David Livingstone
