From Canada to China, millions around the world are preparing for the fateful day of December 21, 2012, which many believe marks the end of a 5,125-year cycle known as the Long Count on the Mayan calendar. As doomsday "preppers" rush to stock their homes with bottled water, food rations, gas masks and weapons for an impending apocalypse, nobody is preparing for the end of the world in Mexico or Guatemala; instead, they're bracing for a tsunami of spiritual visitors.
Mayan doomsday 2012
Photos: Doomsday preparations... and celebrations
20 Dec 2012
Inspired by Hollywood doomsday film ‘2012’ and the 2004 Asian tsunami, Chinese furniture maker Liu Qiyuan has constructed spherical emergency shelters in a village in Langfang, Hebei. Liu believes his structures could save his family from big floods, earthquakes or solar storms. Photo: AFP
Editor's Pick
Man of the moment Riccardo Tisci's dark, sensual designs for Givenchy come straight from the heart, writes Jing Zhang.
10:53PM
Lifestyle
British fashion designer Stella McCartney is in Hong Kong as...
11:17PM
In an evolutionary twist, some German cockroaches have...
6:28PM
It's no accident that Bentley chose Beijing for the...
1:12PM
Photo Galleries
-
![]( "In this Jan. 4, 2013, photo provided by the Holmes family, Tammy Holmes, second from left, and her grandchildren, two-year-old Charlotte Walker, left, four-year-old Esther Walker, third from left, nine-year-old Liam Walker, eleven-year-old Matilda, second from right, and six-year-old Caleb Walker, right, take refuge under a jetty as a wildfire rages near-by in the Tasmanian town of Dunalley, east of the state capital of Hobart, Australia. Photo: AP")
Photos9 Jan 2013 -
![]( "Kerstin Menke of the German Oceanographic Museum in Stralsund, northern Germany poses next to a replica of a basking shark's mouth on January 8, 2013. Photo: AFP")
Photos9 Jan 2013 -
![]( "A participant from New Zealand flies a large heart shaped kite at the International Kite Festival in Mumbai, India, Monday, Jan. 7, 2012. Photo: AP")
Photos9 Jan 2013 -
![]( "Actors from The Bankside Mummers group perform a folk play near the Globe Theatre in central London on January 6, 2013, in celebration of Twelfth Night, marking the end of the twelve days of winter festivities. Photo: AFP")
Photos7 Jan 2013 -
![]( "A marriage registry in Chongqing, southwest China, is packed with couples rushing to tie the knot on Jan. 4, 2013, or 2013/1/4, which sounds like \"Love you forever\" in Putonghua. Photo: Xinhua")
Photos4 Jan 2013 -
![]( "A man walks past graffiti art of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez in Caracas, Venezuela on January 2, 2013. Photo: AFP")
Photos3 Jan 2013 -
![]( "People dive into the North Sea during the Nieuwjaarsduik, or New Year's dive in English, on New Year's Day in Scheveningen, in the Netherlands, Jan. 1, 2013. Photo: EPA")
Photos2 Jan 2013 -
![]( "Steam and traction engine enthusiasts take part in the New Year's Day Parade in central London on January 1, 2013. Photo: AFP")
Photos2 Jan 2013 -
![]( "Fireworks explode over Elizabeth Tower housing the Big Ben clock to celebrate the New Year in London, Tuesday, January. 1, 2013. Photo: AP")
Photos1 Jan 2013
Pages
Video Channels
- Hong Kong Hong Kong greets giant Rubber Duck May 2, 2013|2:48
![]()
- World Chevrolet in hot water over 'offensive' ad May 1, 2013|1:02
![]()
- Hong Kong Should Hong Kong donate to the Sichuan earthquake victims? Apr 24, 2013|1:48
![]()
- World Singapore supervisor caught on video slapping intern to 'nurture him' May 21, 2013|0:16
![]()
- Hong Kong Fast and Furious on the streets of Hong Kong May 9, 2013|3:45
![]()
- Hong Kong How to deal with Hong Kong's smog Apr 15, 2013|2:11
![]()
- Unravelling the mystery behind a WW2 plane crash May 13, 2013|6:45
![]()
- Health The Incident Apr 24, 2013|4:19
![]()
- Hong Kong Chapman brothers unveil diabolical art in Hong Kong May 24, 2013|1:00
![]()
- Dead Man Down May 16, 2013|2:23
![]()
- INFINITI May 15, 2013|2:39
![]()
- @HOMES Episode 7 - 2013 May 8, 2013|3:57
![]()
- Global Finance Seminar Series - 19 November 2012 - Part 1 Nov 23, 2012|11:59
![]()
- Arts World's premier art fair comes to Hong Kong May 23, 2013|1:04
![]()
- So Young May 16, 2013|1:06
![]()
- FACES SUMMER 2013 Apr 24, 2013|2:02
![]()
In Case You Missed It
Login
SCMP.com Account
or
Log in using a partner site
Log in using your Facebook account. What's this?
Don't have an SCMP.com account? Subscribe Now!