View source for Thai solar calendar

{{Short description|Legal calendar in Thailand}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
[[File:August2004rs.png|right|thumb|upright=1.3|A panel from a typical calendar, showing the month of August 2004 (B.E. 2547). Lunar dates are also provided.]]

The '''Thai solar calendar''' ({{langx|th|ปฏิทินสุริยคติไทย}}, {{RTGS|''patithin suriyakhati thai''}}, "solar calendar") was adopted by King [[Chulalongkorn]] (Rama V) in 1888 [[Common Era|CE]] as the Siamese version of the [[Gregorian calendar]], replacing the [[Thai lunar calendar]] as the legal [[Thai calendar]] (though the latter is still also used, especially for traditional and religious events). Years are now counted in the Buddhist Era (B.E.): {{lang|th|{{Wikt-lang|th|พุทธศักราช}}, พ.ศ.}} {{RTGS|''Phutthasakkarat''}} (lit. '[[Shaka era|era of the Shaka]] [[Buddha]]') which is 543 years ahead of the Gregorian calendar.

==Years==
{{further|Chula Sakarat}}
The [[Siam]]ese generally used two calendars, a ''sacred'' and a ''popular'' ([[wikt:vulgar#Adjective|''vulgar'']] in the classical sense). The vulgar or [[Chula Sakarat|minor era]] ({{lang|th|จุลศักราช}}, ''chula sakarat'') was thought to have been instituted when the worship of Gautama was first introduced,<ref name = "Crawfurd">{{cite book |last= Crawfurd |first= John |author-link= John Crawfurd |title= Journal of an Embassy from the Governor-general of India to the Courts of Siam and Cochin China|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=sAUPAAAAYAAJ |volume= 2 |date= 21 August 2006 |orig-year= 1830 |publisher= H. Colburn and R. Bentley |location= London |oclc= 3452414 |page= 32|chapter= Chapter I|chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=AEZFAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA32|quote= The Siamese year does not commence with the first month, but corresponds with that of the Chinese. In the year 1822, the new year fell on 11 April, being the 5th day of the dark half of the moon.... The Siamese have two epochs, or, as they describe them, ''Sa-ka-rat''. The sacred one dates from the death of Gautama, and the year which commenced on 11 April 1822, was the year 2365, according to this reckoning.|edition= 2nd}}</ref><ref name = "Roberts">{{cite book |last= Roberts |first= Edmund |author-link= Edmund Roberts (diplomat) |title= Embassy to the Eastern courts of Cochin-China, Siam, and Muscat : in the U. S. sloop-of-war Peacock ... during the years 1832-3-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSgPAAAAYAAJ |date=2007 |orig-year= 1837 |publisher= Harper & brothers  |page= 310  |chapter= Chapter XX―Division of Time |isbn= 9780608404066 |chapter-url= https://books.google.com/books?id=aSgPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA310|edition= Digital|quote=  The Siamese have two epochs, sacred and popular. The sacred era dates from the death of Gautama, and the year 1833 corresponded to the 2376 year. The vulgar era was instituted when the worship of Gautama was first introduced; and the year 1833 corresponded with the year 1194, and was the fifth, or [[Dragon (zodiac)|Dragon]] year.}}</ref> and corresponds to the [[traditional Burmese calendar]] (abbreviated ME or BE, the latter not to be confused with the abbreviation for the Buddhist Era, which is the sacred era.)

=== Rattanakosin Era ===
King Chulalongkorn decreed a change in vulgar reckoning to the ''[[Rattanakosin Kingdom (1782–1932)|Rattanakosin]] Era'' ({{lang|th|รัตนโกสินทรศก}}, ''Rattanakosin Sok'' abbreviated ร.ศ. and R.S.) in 1889 CE. The [[epoch (reference date)]] for Year 1 was 6 April 1782 with the accession of [[Rama I]], the foundation of the [[Chakri dynasty]], and the [[History of Bangkok#Rattanakosin|founding of Bangkok]] (Rattanakosin) as capital. To convert years in R.S. to the Common Era, add 1781 for dates from 6 April to December, and 1782 for dates from January to 5 April.

===Buddhist Era===
In Thailand the sacred, or [[Buddhist Era]], is reckoned to have an epochal [[year 0]] from 11 March 543 BC, believed to be the [[Gautama Buddha#Mahaparinirvana|date of the death]] of [[Gautama Buddha]]. King [[Vajiravudh]] (Rama VI) changed year counting to this Buddhist Era (abbreviated BE) and moved the start of the year back to 1 April in 2455 BE, 1912 CE. As there is no longer any reference to a vulgar or popular era, the Common Era may be presumed to have taken the place of the former.

===New year===
[[New Year]], the time at which a new [[calendar year]] begins and the calendar's year count is incremented, originally coincided with the [[Songkran (Thailand)#Astrological calculation|date calculated for Songkran]], when the Sun transits the constellation of [[Aries (astrology)|Aries]], the first [[astrological sign]] in the [[Zodiac]] as reckoned by [[sidereal astrology]]: thus the year commenced on 11 April 1822.<ref name="Crawfurd" /> As previously noted, Rama VI moved the start of the year back to 1 April in 2455 BE, 1912 CE, so that 130 R.S. only lasted for 356 days from 11 April 1911 to 31 March 1912.

On 6 September 1940, Prime Minister [[Luang Phibunsongkhram|Phibunsongkhram]] decreed<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Royal Gazette|volume=57|issue=ก|pages=419|script-title=th:พระราชบัญญัติปีปฏิทิน พุทธศักราช ๒๔๘๓|url=http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2483/A/419.PDF|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110927203851/http://www.ratchakitcha.soc.go.th/DATA/PDF/2483/A/419.PDF|url-status=dead|archive-date=27 September 2011|date=17 September 1940|language=th}}</ref> 1 January 1941 as the start of the year 2484 BE, so year 2483 BE had only nine months running from 1 April to 31 December 1940. 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:

{| class="wikitable" align="center" width="75%" style="text-align:center; border:1px solid black"
|-
! Month
| width="6%" style="border-left: 1px solid black" | 1–3 || 4–6 || 7–9 || 10–12
| style="border-left: 1px solid black" | 1–3 || 4–6 || 7–9 || 10–12
| style="border-left: 1px solid black" | 1–3 || 4–6 || 7–9 || 10–12
| style="border-left: 1px solid black" | 1–3 || 4–6 || 7–9 || 10–12
|- style="background-color:yellow"
! CE
| colspan="4" width="25%" style="border:1px solid black" | 1939
| colspan="4" width="25%" style="border:1px solid black" | 1940
| colspan="4" width="25%" style="border:1px solid black" | 1941
| colspan="4" width="25%" style="border: 1px solid black" |1942
|- style="background-color:sandybrown"
! BE
| style="border-top: 1px solid black; border-bottom: 1px solid black; border-right: 1px solid black" | 2481
| colspan="4" style="border:1px solid black" | 2482
| colspan="3" style="border:1px solid black"| 2483
| colspan="4" style="background-color:cyan; border:1px solid black" | 2484
| colspan="4" style="background-color:cyan; border:1px solid black" | 2485
|-
! <sub>Thai Month</sub>
| width="6%" style="border-left: 1px solid black" | 10–12 || 1–3 || 4–6 || 7–9
| style="border-left: 1px solid black" | 10–12 || 1–3 || 4–6 || 7–9
| style="border-left: 1px solid black" | 1–3 || 4–6 || 7–9 || 10–12
| style="border-left: 1px solid black" | 1–3 || 4–6 || 7–9 || 10–12
|- style="background-color:yellow"
|}

Today, both the [[Common Era]] New Year's Day (1 January) and the traditional [[Songkran (Thailand)|Thai New Year]] ({{lang|th|สงกรานต์}}, ''Songkran'') celebrations (13–15 April) are public holidays in Thailand. In the [[Thai lunar calendar#Twelve-year animal cycle|traditional Thai calendar]], the change to the next [[Chinese zodiac]]al animal occurs at Songkran (now fixed at 13 April.)<ref>{{Cite book|title=The calendrical systems of mainland southeast asia|author=J.C. Eade|isbn=90-04-10437-2|publisher=E.J. Brill, Leiden|page=22}} According to some scholars including [[George Coedes]] the change occurred at the beginning of the 5th lunar month originally a few days before Songkhran.</ref> 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 [[Chinese astrology#Table of the sixty-year calendar|twelve-year animal cycle]].

==Months==

Names of the months derive from [[Hindu astrology]] names for the [[Zodiac#Hindu zodiac|signs of the zodiac]]. Thirty-day-month names end in ''-ayon'' ({{lang|th|-ายน}}), from Sanskrit root ''āyana'', meaning the arrival of; 31-day-month names end in ''-akhom'' ({{lang|th|-าคม}}), from Sanskrit ''āgama'' (cognate to English "come") that also means the arrival of.

February's name ends in ''-aphan'' ({{lang|th|-าพันธ์}}), from Sanskrit ''bandha'', meaning "fettered" or "bound". The day added to February in a solar [[leap year]] is ''Athikasurathin'' ({{lang|th|อธิกสุรทิน}}, respelled to aid pronunciation ({{lang|th|อะทิกะสุระทิน}}) from Sanskrit ''adhika'': "additional"; and ''sura'': "move".<ref>[http://www.thai2english.com/dictionary/27807.html Thai2english.com] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928191520/http://www.thai2english.com/dictionary/27807.html |date=28 September 2007 }}, dictionary</ref>

{|class="wikitable"
|+ Thai months name
! English name
! Thai name
! {{abbr|Abbr.|Abbreviation}}
! Thai pronunciation
! Sanskrit word
! [[Hindu astrology|Zodiac sign]]
|-
| January
| มกราคม
| ม.ค.
| ''mákàraa-khom'' or ''mókkàraa-khom''
| [[Makara (month)|Makara]] ("[[Makara|sea-monster]]")
| [[Capricorn (astrology)|Capricorn]]
|-
| February
| กุมภาพันธ์
| ก.พ.
| ''kumphaa-phan''
| [[Kumbha (month)|Kumbha]] ("[[Kumbha|pitcher]]", "[[kumbha|water-pot]]")
| [[Aquarius (astrology)|Aquarius]]
|-
| March
| มีนาคม
| มี.ค.
| ''miinaa-khom''
| [[Mīna]] ("fish")
| [[Pisces (astrology)|Pisces]]
|-
| April
| เมษายน
| เม.ย.
| ''meesaǎ-yon''
| [[Meṣa (month)|Meṣa]] ("ram")
| [[Aries (astrology)|Aries]]
|-
| May
| พฤษภาคม
| พ.ค.
| ''phrɯ́tsaphaa-khom''
| [[Vṛṣabha]] ("bull")
| [[Taurus (astrology)|Taurus]]
|-
| June
| มิถุนายน
| มิ.ย.
| ''míthùnaa-yon''
| [[Mithuna (month)|Mithuna]] ("[[Maithuna|a pair]]")
| [[Gemini (astrology)|Gemini]]
|-
| July
| กรกฎาคม
| ก.ค.
| ''kàrákàdaa-khom'' or ''kàrákkàdaa-khom''
| [[Karkata|Karkaṭa]] ("crab")
| [[Cancer (astrology)|Cancer]]
|-
| August
| สิงหาคม
| ส.ค.
| ''sǐnghǎa-khom''
| [[Simha (month)|Siṃha]] ("lion")
| [[Leo (astrology)|Leo]]
|-
| September
| กันยายน
| ก.ย.
| ''kanyaa-yon''
| [[Kanya|Kanyā]] ("girl")
| [[Virgo (astrology)|Virgo]]
|-
| October
| ตุลาคม
| ต.ค.
| ''tùlaa-khom''
| [[Tula (month)|Tulā]] ("balance")
| [[Libra (astrology)|Libra]]
|-
| November
| พฤศจิกายน
| พ.ย.
| ''phrɯ́tsajìkaa-yon''
| [[Vṛścika]] ("scorpion")
| [[Scorpio (astrology)|Scorpio]]
|-
| December
| ธันวาคม
| ธ.ค.
| ''thanwaa-khom''
| [[Dhanu (month)|Dhanu]] ("bow", "arc")
| [[Sagittarius (astrology)|Sagittarius]]
|}

==Days==
{{Main|Colors of the day in Thailand}}
{{:Colors of the day in Thailand}}

==Problems==
Using Buddhist era could easily cause confusion between itself and Anno Domini in the historical context. For example, Anno Domini {{currentyear}}, and Buddhist year {{currentyear}} (which corresponds to AD {{#time:Y|-543 years}}). Two-digit year numbering could cause even more confusion.

Another problem is the counting of the Buddhist era, which has changed several times in the past, including the inclusion of year 0, and the change of New Year's Day from April to January in 1941, has caused confusion in historical context as well. For example, many Thai people regard the establishment of the [[Ayutthaya Kingdom]] to be in 1350, which is direct conversion from Buddhist era 1893, while the actual date is 1351.

In computer programming, using the Buddhist era has sometimes caused the computer programs to void the license immediately, as the input values of the Buddhist era would exceed the expiration date for the program. Some users report that dates appear in future dates, due to the input data being the Buddhist era, while the computer is designed to accept [[Anno Domini]].

==See also==
{{wikisource|Proclamation on Observance of New Year's Day on 1 January, dated 24 December 1940}}
{{Portal|Thailand}}
* [[Buddhist calendar]]
* [[Date and time notation in Thailand]]
* [[Public holidays in Thailand]]
* [[Thai six-hour clock|Thai 6-hour clock]]
* [[Thai lunar calendar]]
* [[Time in Thailand]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
* 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.
* [http://www.thai2english.com/ Web dictionary Thai-English English-Thai]

==External links==
* [http://dspace.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/41890/3/thai_time.html Thai Time by Anthony Diller] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150325134509/https://dspace.anu.edu.au/bitstream/1885/41890/3/thai_time.html |date=25 March 2015 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090618061700/http://www.chiangmai-chiangrai.com/buddha_images_for_days_of_week.html Thai Buddha Images for the Days of the Week]
* [http://www.myhora.com/%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%8F%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%99/%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%8F%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%B4%E0%B8%99%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A2.aspx Thai Lunar/Solar Calendar (BE.2300–2584)]  (Thai Language)

{{calendars}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Thai Solar Calendar}}
[[Category:Time in Thailand|Solar calendar]]
[[Category:Solar calendars]]
[[Category:Specific calendars]]
[[Category:Modified Gregorian calendars]]
[[Category:Culture of Thailand|Solar calendar]]