[Creelaleps]

thanks - that makes it clearer as to why.

[Creelaleps]

thanks - I knew I asked this before but I couldn't find it where.
it is still.... quite stupid, honestly.
why bother with so many calendar systems?

[Creelaleps]

I may have asked this before but I don't remember the answer. my Thai colleague couldn't explain either.
the loy krathong song says:
wan pen duean sipsong.....
on the full moon day of the 12th month....
if Thai new year (songkran) is in April, how did November become the 12th month?

thanks for any enlightening input.

[Ibrattnofich]

It is the 12th lunar month. Songkran is in the fifth lunar month.

http://www.thai-blogs.com/index.php/...alendar?blog=5

[Acrogeokickic]

I was reading up on this not so long ago - and the book is to hand (»ÃÐà¾³Õ 12 à´×͹ by »ÃÒ¹Õ Ç§Éìà·Ê and ÊبԵµì ǧÉìà·È Pranee and Sujit Wongtet). Here goes:

The end of the 12th lunar month and start of the 1st was the original 'New Year' in the region, with a tradition going back perhaps thousands of years. Of course the day itself wouldn't be fixed but is generally towards the end of November / beginning of December.

The Songkran New Year is based on Hindu calculations and was adopted by the royal courts of Southeast Asia from India as a Hindu ceremony. I think it got to Thailand in the Ayuthaya period and wasn't fixed, but would occur some time in the middle of April. Most ordinary people would still be following their traditional New Year, but there would probably have been a gradual spread, especially in the towns where more would be known of the royal customs and they began to celebrate both.

In 2432 (1889 if my maths is on the ball), in the reign of King Rama V, the Thai New Year was officially set as 1st April.

2483 (1940), Pibulsongram as PM announced that Thailand would follow the international New Year on 1st January.