Holidays Regulated By The Moon
Buddhist Sabbaths, colloquially called วันพระ Wan Phra, are the New, First-quarter, Full, and Third-quarter Moon-days. These are not normally days off (วันหยุด wan-yoot), except for butcher, barber, and beautician shops that observe the Eight Precepts. Annual holidays and seasonal festivals collectively are called วันนักขัตฤกษ์ วันนักขัดตะเริก Wan nak-khad-ta-roek.
Festivals or fairs are called เทศกาล (เทสะกาน) thet-sa-garn; these may be further styled as ประเพณี pra-pen-nee "traditional" and as Thai: พืธิ pit-ti, "rite" or "ceremony". The table shows the principal ones governed by the moon in yellow.
Work holidays prescribed by the government are called Thai: วันหยุดราชการ วันหยุดราชากาน Wan-yoot-ra-cha-gan; those regulated by the moon are red.
Weekends are normally days off; if a holiday normally observed by a day off falls on a weekend, the following Monday is a compensatory day off Thai: วันชดเชย Wan chod-choey.
| Work holidays | and | festivals | regulated by the moon: x = waxing moon; n = waning |
| Mo. | Day | Event | ไทย | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3† | 1x | Chinese New Year | ตรุษจีน | Most shops owned by Chinese-Thai close |
| 3 | 15x | Magha Puja | วันมาฆบูชา | Makha Bucha |
| 6 | 15x | Vesak | วิสาขบูชา | Visakha Bucha |
| 8‡ | 15x | Asalha Puja | อาสาฬหบูชา | Asarnha Bucha |
| 8‡ | 1n | Wan Kao Pansa | วันเข้าพรรษา | Begin Rains Retreat, or "Buddhist Lent" |
| 10 | 15n | Thetsagarn Sart | เทศกาลสารท | The Vegetarian Festival (เทศกาลวันสารท Tesagarn Wan Sat) now appears on calendars as Tesagarn Kin Jae 9 Wan (เทศกาลกินเจ ๕ วัน), (begin) Nine-day Vegetarian Festival. Kin Jae means (to vow) in the manner of Vietnamese or Chinese Buddhists to eat a strict vegetarian diet. (กินเจ, กินแจ ก. ถือศีลอย่างญวนหรือจีน โดยกินอาหารจำพวกผักล้วน ไม่มีเนื้อสัตว์.) (เทศกาลกินเจ Thet-sa-gan Kin-je) |
| 11 | 15x | Wan Awk Pansa | วันออกพรรษา | End Rains Retreat, or "Buddhist Lent" |
| 11 | 1n | Thod Kathin | ทอดกฐิน | Presentation of Monk's Robes after Rains Retreat |
| 12 | 15x | Loy Krathong | ลอยกระทง | Note that Loy Krathong dates are based on the Lanna (Northern Thailand) Lunar Calendar which is two months later than the Thai Lunar Calendar. Loy Krathong is actually on the second month of the Lanna calendar which is the 12th month of the central Thai calendar. |
Notes:
- † The Chinese New Year uses different methods of determining intercalary months, so this festival sometimes occurs a month earlier or later.
- ‡ Month 8/8 in years with the extra month.
Read more about this topic: Thai Lunar Calendar
Famous quotes containing the words regulated and/or moon:
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