Irish band U2, Elton John and Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, among other musicians were invited to Guatemala for the celebrations of the change of era in the Mayan Calendar, on December 21, the Ministry of Culture has announded.
Other highlights of the list of invitees include the American pop group The Jackson, and singer Neil Young from Canada, Bruce Springsteen and Janet Jackson from the United States.
"World leaders, thinkers, philosophers, scientists, education and communciation experts are invited to the 'World Summit for Humanity," the official note said.
"That day (December 21) marks the end of the current Great Cycle in the actual Mayan Calendar - called 13 B´aktun and the beginning of a new era of 5200 years," said the Guatemalan Ministry of Culture.
The government of Guatemala, producer Raul Julia-Levy, Guatemalan writer Carlos Barrios, Mayan spiritual guides and local Indigenous authorities are leading the activities.
"We are at a turning point, a moment of opportunity, but above all of commitment, parallel to the natural ordering that Mother Earth is going through, and we as humans also order our lives, our civilizations," said Minister of Culture Carlos Batzin.
According to the Mayan solar calendar, 21 December ends an era of 5,200 years and starts a new cycle, which has led to speculation about the end of humanity, but the Mayas do not share that vision.
On 21 August, Mayan priests will perform a ceremony at the archaeological centre Kaminal Jiyu, in Guatemala City, as part of the activities of the countdown to the end of the age "Oxlajuj b'aktun".
The Mayan calendar consists of 18 months of 20 days each, plus the 'Wayeb', the holy month of five days. The 'b'aktun' is the longest unit of this system and is equivalent to about 400 years.
The Mayan culture had its peak in the so-called Classic period (250-900 AD), until it entered a period of decline in the Post Classic period (900-1200 AD).