THAILAND BEFORE CHRIST

Thai solar calendar

The Thai solar calendar, Suriyakhati (Thai: สุริยคติ), was adopted by King Chulalongkorn (Rama V) in AD 1888 as the Siamese version of the Gregorian calendar. It is the legalcalendar in Thailand, though Thai lunar calendar dates continue in use. Years are now counted in the Buddhist Era (BE: พ.ศ. พุทธศักราช, pútthasàkkàrât) which began 543 years before the Christian Era ( ค.ศ. คริสต์ศักราช, krítsàkkàrât). As a convenience, calendars typically include the year AD in both Arabic and Thai numerals.

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

August 2547 BE/AD 2004

Contents

  [hide] 

• 1Calendar
• 2Birthdays
• 3Years
  • 3.1Rattanakosin Era
  • 3.2Buddhist Era
  • 3.3New year
• 4Months
• 5Weeks
  • 5.1Weekends and holidays
• 6See also
• 7Notes
• 8References
• 9External links

Calendar[edit]

• 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.

Birthdays[edit]

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, ho-ra-sat) and Chinese astrology. Thai birth certificates record the date, month 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.

Years[edit]

Further information: Chula Sakarat

The Siamese generally used two calendars, a sacred and a popular (vulgar in the classical sense). The vulgar or minor era (จุลศักราช, chula sakarat) was thought to have been instituted when the worship of Gautama was first introduced,^[1] [2] 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[edit]

King Chulalongkorn decreed a change in vulgar reckoning to the Rattanakosin Era (abbreviated RE) (รัตนโกสินทรศก, Rattanakosin Sok abbreviated ร.ศ. and R.S.) 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 founding of Bangkok (Rattanakosin) as capital in 106 RE, AD 1888.

Buddhist Era[edit]

In Thailand the sacred, or Buddhist Era, is reckoned to have an epochal year 0 from 11 March 543 BC, believed to be the 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, AD 1912. 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[edit]

New Year, the time at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count is incremented, originally coincided with the date calculated for Songkran, when the sun transits the constellation of Aries, the first astrological sign in the Zodiac as reckoned by sidereal astrology: thus the year commenced on 11 April 1822.^[1] As previously noted, Rama VI moved the start of the year back to 1 April in 2455 BE, AD 1912.

On 6 September 1940, Prime Minister Phibunsongkhram decreed^[3] 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:

Month	1–3	4–6	7–9	10–12	1–3	4–6	7–9	10–12	1–3	4–6	7–9	10–12	1–3	4–6	7–9	10–12
AD	1939				1940				1941				1942
BE	2481	2482				2483			2484				2485
Thai Month	10-12	1-3	4–6	7–9	10-12	1-3	4–6	7–9	1-3	4-6	7-9	10-12	1-3	4-6	7-9	10-12

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 Songkran (now fixed at 13 April.)^[4] 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.

Months[edit]

Names of the months derive from Hindu astrology names for the signs of the zodiac. Thirty-day-month names end in -ayon (-ายน), from Sanskrit root āyana : the arrival of; 31-day-month names end in -akhom (-าคม), 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).^[5]

Months

English name	Thai name	Abbr.	Transcription	Sanskrit word	Zodiac sign
January	มกราคม	ม.ค.	makarakhom, mokkarakhom	makara "sea-monster"	Capricorn
February	กุมภาพันธ์	ก.พ.	kumphaphan	kumbha "pitcher, water-pot"	Aquarius
March	มีนาคม	มี.ค.	minakhom	mīna "(a specific kind of) fish"	Pisces
April	เมษายน	เม.ย.	mesayon	meṣa "ram"	Aries
May	พฤษภาคม	พ.ค.	phruetsaphakhom	vṛṣabha "bull"	Taurus
June	มิถุนายน	มิ.ย.	mithunayon	mithuna "a pair"	Gemini
July	กรกฎาคม	ก.ค.	karakadakhom	karkaṭa "crab"	Cancer
August	สิงหาคม	ส.ค.	singhakhom	sinha "lion"	Leo
September	กันยายน	ก.ย.	kanyayon	kanyā "girl"	Virgo
October	ตุลาคม	ต.ค.	tulakhom	tulā "balance"	Libra
November	พฤศจิกายน	พ.ย.	phruetsachikayon	vṛścika "scorpion"	Scorpio
December	ธันวาคม	ธ.ค.	thanwakhom	dhanu "bow, arc"	Sagittarius

Weeks[edit]

A week (สัปดาห์, sapda or สัปดาหะ, sapdaha from Sanskrit "seven") is a 7-day period beginning on Sunday and ending Saturday.^[6]

Days of the week are named after the first seven of the nine Indian astrological Navagraha; i.e., the sun, moon, and five classical planets.

Weekdays

English name	Thai name	Transcription	Color	Sanskrit word	Planet
Sunday	วันอาทิตย์	wan athit	red	Aditya	Sun
Monday	วันจันทร์	wan chan	yellow	Chandra	Moon
Tuesday	วันอังคาร	wan angkhan	pink	Angaraka	Mars
Wednesday	วันพุธ	wan phut	green	Budha	Mercury
Thursday	วันพฤหัสบดี	wan phruehatsabodi	orange	Brihaspati	Jupiter
Friday	วันศุกร์	wan suk	blue	Shukra	Venus
Saturday	วันเสาร์	wan sao	purple	Shani	Saturn

Note: Colours are those considered auspicious for the given days of the week, that of Wednesday day being green and of Wednesday night, light green. Of Buddha imagesrepresenting episodes (ปาง) from his life, there is one that represents a week and others for each day of the week: Monday has three options that are similar and Wednesday, entirely different ones for day and night.^[7]

JAPAN BEFORE CHRIST

Human habitation in the Japanese archipelago can be traced back toprehistoric times. The Jōmon period, named after its "cord-marked" pottery, was followed by the Yayoi in the first millennium BC, when new technologies were introduced from continental Asia. During this period, in the first century AD, the first known written reference to Japan was recorded in the Chinese Book of Han. Between the third century and the eighth century, Japan's many kingdoms and tribes gradually came to be unified under a centralized government, nominally controlled by the Emperor. The imperial dynastyestablished at this time continues to reign over Japan to this day. In 794, a new imperial capital was established at Heian-kyō (modernKyoto), marking the beginning of the Heian period, which lasted until 1185. The Heian period is considered a golden age of classicalJapanese culture. Japanese religious life from this time and onwards was a mix ofBuddhism, and native religious practices known as Shinto.

Over the following centuries the power of the Emperor and the imperial court gradually declined and passed to the military clans and their armies of samurai warriors. TheMinamoto clan under Minamoto no Yoritomoemerged victorious from the Genpei War of 1180–85. After seizing power, Yoritomo set up his capital in Kamakura and took the title of shogun. In 1274 and 1281, the Kamakura shogunate withstood two Mongol invasions, but in 1333 it was toppled by a rival claimant to the shogunate, ushering in the Muromachi period. During the Muromachi period regional warlords known as daimyō grew in power at the expense of the shogun. Eventually, Japan descended into a period of civil war. Over the course of the late sixteenth century, Japan was reunified under the leadership of the daimyō Oda Nobunaga and his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi. After Hideyoshi's death in 1598, Tokugawa Ieyasu came to power and was appointed shogun by the Emperor. TheTokugawa shogunate, which governed fromEdo (modern Tokyo), presided over a prosperous and peaceful era known as theEdo period (1600–1868). The Tokugawa shogunate imposed a strict class system on Japanese society and cut off almost all contact with the outside world.

The American Perry Expedition in 1853–54 ended Japan's seclusion; this in turn contributed to the fall of the shogunate and the return of power to the Emperor in 1868. The new national leadership of the followingMeiji period transformed their isolated, underdeveloped island country into an empirethat closely followed Western models and became a world power. Although democracy developed and modern civilian culture prospered during the Taishō period (1912–26), Japan's powerful military had great autonomy and overruled Japan's civilian leaders in the 1920s and 1930s. The militaryinvaded Manchuria in 1931, and from 1937 the conflict escalated into a prolonged war with China. Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941 led to war with the United States and its allies. Japan's forces soon became overextended, but the military held out in spite of Allied air attacks that inflicted severe damage on population centers. Japan's unconditional surrender on 14 August 1945 followed the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and the Soviet invasion of Manchuria.

The Allies occupied Japan until 1952, during which a new constitution was enacted in 1947 that transformed Japan into a constitutional monarchy. After 1955, Japan enjoyed very high economic growth, and became a worldeconomic powerhouse. Since the 1990s,economic stagnation has been a major issue. An earthquake and tsunami in 2011 caused massive economic dislocations and a seriousnuclear disaster.

RUSSIA BEFORE CHRIST

Slavs in Russia: from 1500 BC
The steppes, which form a broad pathway into southern Russia from central Asia, have been occupied by nomads since distant prehistoric times. By contrast the northern forests, in a region covered by an ice cap until the end of the latest glacial period, only become open to human settlement some 10,000 years ago (see Ice Ages). From about 1500 BC the Slavs, an Indo-European group, settle in the region of Poland and western Russia. Vulnerable to attack along the steppes, they are often dominated by other groups (in particular the Khazars). But they hold their territory until the arrival of Vikings from the north.
Vikings in Russia: from the 9th century
Unusually for the Vikings, trade rather than plunder is the main reason for their penetration deep into Russia during the 9th century AD. The rivers of eastern Europe, flowing north and south, make it surprisingly easy for goods to travel between the Baltic and the Black Sea. One spot is particularly well-favoured as a trading centre. Near Lake Ilmen the headwaters of the Dvina, Dnieper and Volga rivers are close to each other. Respectively they flow into the Baltic, the Black Sea and the Caspian. Goods ferried by water between these important trading regions converge on this area. By the early 9th century Viking tribes known as the Rus have a base on the site of Novgorod.
Although they are not Slavs, there is justice in the Rus giving Russia her name. Their development of trade, particularly down the Dnieper (a route which becomes known as Austrvegr, or the 'Great Waterway'), lays the foundation of the Russian nation. In 882 a Viking leader, Oleg, moves his headquarters down the Dnieper, seizing the town of Kiev. Here, in 911, he negotiates a commercial treaty with the Byzantine empire.
A Viking successor of Oleg's in Kiev, two generations later, describes how this first Russian city is the centre of a triangular trade between civilized Byzantium in the south, the steppe lands in the middle, and the wild forests of the north. In this place 'all goods gather from all parts: gold, clothes, wine, fruits from the Greeks; silver and horses from the Czechs and Hungarians; furs, wax, honey and slaves from the Rus'.
The first Russians: 10th - 11th century
The rulers of Kiev in the 10th century are still Vikings. But as they settle and become more prosperous they begin to seem something new and different - Russians. This is particularly true of Vladimir, who is proclaimed prince of all Russia in 980 after capturing Kiev from a rival. Vladimir's early life is spent in full-blooded pagan style, fighting and wenching (the chronicles credit him with 800 concubines), but in about 988 he takes a step which gives Russia its characteristic identity and brings him personally the halo of a saint. He sends envoys out to discover which is the best religion. Their report persuades him to choose for Russia theGreek Orthodox brand of Christianity.
The new religion is rapidly imposed upon the towns under the control of Vladimir and his family. The inhabitants of Novgorod, the most prosperous of these towns apart from Kiev itself, are forcibly baptized in 989. Vladimir won Kiev in 980 after a fight to the death between himself and various brothers, and the process is repeated after his own death in 1015. His successor, Yaroslav the Wise, is the survivor of five sons of Vladimir. Yaroslav kills the last of them in 1019 and is accepted as grand prince of Kiev.