Thai solar calendar

The Thai solar calendar, Suriyakati (Thai: สุริยคติ: Suriya plus kati : way) was adopted by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in AD 1888 as the Siamese version of the Gregorian calendar. It is the legal calendar in Thailand, though Thai lunar calendar dates continue in use. Years are now counted in the Buddhist Era (BE: พ.ศ. พุทธศักราช póota sàk-gà-râat) that is 543 years greater than the Christian Era ( ค.ศ. คริสต์ศักราช krít sàk-gà-râat). As a convenience, calendars typically include the year AD in both Arabic and Chinese numerals.

August ๒๕๔๗ Thai numerals = 2547 BE, AD 2004 Chinese 二〇〇四年

August 2547 BE/AD 2004

[edit] Calendar

• Red numerals mark Sundays and public holidays in Thailand.
• Buddha images mark Buddhist Sabbaths, Wan Phra (วันพระ.)
• Red tablets with white Chinese characters mark the New and Full Moons of the Chinese calendar, which typically differ by one day from those of the Thai.
• Scrawled blue figures mark dates of national lottery drawings and it's made for predict number for last 3 digit and 2 digit prize (for example, 078 on the 15th, 538 on the 19th and 2576 on 31 August 2004.)
• Thai lunar calendar dates appear below the solar calendar date.

[edit] Birthdays

Mundane astrology figures prominently in Thai culture, so modern Thai birth certificates include lunar calendar dates, and the appropriate Chinese calendar zodiacal animal year-name for both Thai Hora (โหราศาสตร์ โหราสาต ho-ra-sat) and Chinese astrology. Thai birth certificates record the date, month, year and time of birth, followed by the day of the week, lunar date, and the applicable zodiac animal name. Thai traditionally reckon age by the 12-year animal-cycle names, with the twelfth and sixtieth anniversaries being of special significance; but the official calendar determines age at law.

For instance, 12 August 2004 was observed without regard to the lunar date as Queen Sirikit's birthday, a public holiday also observed as Thai Mothers' Day. Her zodiacal animal is the monkey and her traditionally significant sixtieth anniversary year was 1992. Born on a Friday, her auspicious birthday colour is blue. Thai auspicious colours of the day are given in the table of weekdays, followed below it by a link to the Buddha images for each day of the week.

[edit] Years

[edit] Rattanakosin Era

The Rattanakosin Era (RE) (รัตนโกสินทรศก Rattanakosin Sok) Year 1 began 6 April 1782, with the accession of Rama I, the foundation of the Chakri Dynasty and the founding of Bangkok as capital (Rattanakosin). King Chulalongkorn decreed this as the epoch (reference date) for the counting of years in 106 RE, AD 1888.

[edit] Buddhist Era

In Thailand the Buddhist Era is reckoned to have an epochal year 0 from 11 March 545 BC, believed to be the date of the death of Gautama Buddha. King Vajiravudh (Rama VI) changed year counting to this Buddhist Era (BE) and moved the start of the year back to 1 April in 2455 BE, AD 1912.

[edit] New year

On 6 September 1940, Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram decreed^[1] 1 January 1941 as the start of the year 2484 BE, so year 2483 BE had only nine months. To convert dates from 1 January to 31 March prior to that year, the number to add or subtract is 542; otherwise, it is 543. Example:

Today, both the Common Era New Year's Day (1 January) and the traditional Thai New Year (สงกรานต์ Songkran) celebrations (13–15 April) are public holidays in Thailand.

In the traditional Thai calendar, the change to the next Chinese zodiacal animal occurs at Songkhran (13 April).^[2] For Thai Chinese communities in Thailand, however, the Chinese calendar determines the day that a Chinese New Year begins, and assumes the name of the next animal in the twelve-year animal cycle.

[edit] Holidays

Buddhist feasts that are public holidays are calculated according to the lunar calendar, so their dates change with respect to the solar calendar every year; as do Chinese New Year and other feasts observed by Thai Chinese.

[edit] Months

Names of the months derive from Hindu names of the signs of the zodiac. Thirty-day-month names end in -ayon (-อายน), from Sanskrit root -āyana : the arrival of; 31-day-month names end in -akhom (-อาคม), from Sanskrit -āgama (cognate to English "come") that also means the arrival of.

February's name ends in -phan (-พันธ์), from Sanskrit bandha : "fettered" or "bound". The day added to February in a solar leap year is Athikasuratin (อธิกสุรทิน, respelled to aid pronunciation (อะทิกะสุระทิน) from Sanskrit adhika : additional; sura : move).^[3]

[edit] Weeks

A week (สัปดาห์ sàb-da or สัปดาหะ sàb-da-hà from Sanskrit "seven") is a 7-day period beginning on Sunday and ending Saturday.^[4]

Days of the week are named after the Sun and Moon, and Sanskrit names of the five classical planets.

Note: The colours are those considered auspicious for the given days of the week. There are also Buddha statues for each day of the week, with three options for Monday; and a different statue for Wednesday day (colour green) and Wednesday night (colour light green.) ^[5]

[edit] Notes

[edit] See also

Thailand portal

• Buddhist calendar
• Public holidays in Thailand
• Thai 6-hour clock
• Thai lunar calendar
• Time in Thailand

[edit] References

• Eade, John Christopher. 1995. The Calendrical Systems of Mainland South-East Asia. Handbuch der Orientalistik: Dritte Abteilung, Südostasien 9. Leiden and New York: E. J. Brill. ISBN 90-04-10437-2
• na Nakorn, Bleung (comp.). [1971]. นายเปลื้อง ณ นคร ผู้รวบรวม ปทานุกรมนักเรียน ไทยวัฒนาพานิช กทม. Student's Handbook. Bangkok: Thai Wattana Panit, 2514.
• Sethaputra, So. 1999. New Model English - Thai Dictionary. [Krung Thep Maha Nakhon?: Thai Watthana Phanit?]. ISBN 974-08-3253-9
• Thai calendar for August 2004.
• Web dictionary Thai-English English-Thai

[edit] External links

• Thai Time by Anthony Diller
• Thai Buddha Images for the Days of the Week