Legal V. Religious Calendar
The Thai solar calendar (Patitin Suriyakati, Thai: ปฏิทินสุริยคติ), Thailand's version of the Gregorian calendar, replaced the Patitin Chantarakati in AD 1888 / 2431 BE for legal and commercial purposes. In both calendars, the four principal lunar phases determine Buddhist Sabbaths (uposatha), obligatory holy days for observant Buddhists. Significant days also include feast days. Thai Chinese likewise observe their Sabbaths and traditional Chinese holidays according to lunar phases. These move with respect to the solar calendar, so common Thai calendars incorporate both Thai and Chinese lunar dates for religious purposes.
Mundane astrology also 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.
Read more about this topic: Thai Lunar Calendar
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