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lunar months and festival dating


pattaya127

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laohuli, maybe others, can you give the final and authoritative calendar of lunar month affixed to the roman calendar. Many book guides tell you about this or that festival happening on the so or so lunar month, full moon, waxing moon, etc.... great additon if one of you can put this calendar riddle black on white. thanks

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P127...this can be confusing especially in Asia.

 

 

 

Basically there are 13 Lunar months in the year. Any reasonable calendar will mark the individual dates. The lunar month begins with the new moon in each month.

 

 

 

Trick gets to be when they think the year starts. Thailand would appear to use the western Roman system with the New Year beginning on Jan 1.

 

 

 

China starts it's year on the first new moon after Jan.

 

 

 

Vietnam starts its year on Tet. etc. etc. Greek Church still uses the Julian Calendar etc.

 

 

 

There are many arcane and esoteric lunar calendars (some of 12 months and some of 13 months) often used by astrologers and other occult students. No doubt one could spend many years studying all the variations.

 

 

 

But that could make you a Lunatic. smile.gif

 

 

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OK,

 

 

 

So given that Chinese New Year often occurs in February it would make sense that it would be the first full moon after January. But why? Why January? One would assume that this tradition is millennia old, why the first full moon after January?

 

 

 

When is Tet?

 

 

 

Thai New Year is set for April 13th, why?

 

 

 

Enquiring minds want to know. smile.gif

 

 

 

(No really this stuff is interesting. It's like the language thread where the Thai words for mother and father are por and mair and have nothing to do with European languages. There is a link that goes back much farther. Why is Sunday phra athit in Thai? Phra Athit of course being the Sun. This was not based on a Roman calendar so why the connection? As I say interesting, no?")

 

 

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LHL,

 

 

 

OK, that makes sense. And I already knew that was the basis of the Gregorian calender's use of January 1st.

 

 

 

Based on that website the Chinese new year factors in lunar phases as well.

 

 

 

I'm still wondering why Thai new year is in April? Maybe something to do with Buddhism?

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OK,

 

 

 

I've found the answers to my own question.

 

 

 

From "More Thai Ways" by Denis Segaller:

 

 

 

"Songkran or the ancient New Year has to do with the Sun, not the Moon; it marks the transition of the Sun from the Zodiac Sign of Aries into that of Taurus ('Rasi Meen' to 'Rasi Mayt' in Thai)"

 

 

 

That explains it.

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P127,

 

 

 

I believe if you could get back to the pre-Christian roots of French language you would find a different name for that day, if in fact the days had names then.

 

 

 

I found a chart that compares the various days of the week and the planets or bodies for which they are named.

 

 

 

As an example (since I don't feel like typing the whole table)

 

 

 

Monday = Moon day

 

 

 

in Thai: Wun Jan (the Moon is Phra Jan)

 

 

 

in Sanskrit: Chandra war (same connection)

 

 

 

in late Latin: Lunae Dies (same)

 

 

 

in Italian: Lundei (same)

 

 

 

in Spanish: Lunes (same)

 

 

 

in French: Lundi (same)

 

 

 

This holds true for every day except Sunday in predominantly Catholic countries.

 

 

 

Weird. I can understand the European connections, probably rooted in ancient Rome and Greece, but Sanskrit? Hmmm.

 

 

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