I recently heard that the years in Thailand are different. It being 2007 here, but in Thailand the year is something like 2550? Is this true? If so, why?
2007-07-24 07:01:36 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Travel ➔ Asia Pacific ➔ Thailand
yes, by the Thai calendar it is a solar calendar based on the year since Buddha's death. Or the Buddha Era. Below is a brief explanation
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thai_solar_calendar
Why? 95% of the Thai are buddhists.
And it is NOT the official religion. There is none.
2007-07-24 08:03:10 · answer #1 · answered by gbdelta1954 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes - it is true
I was born in Thailand and it was 2503. This is because they use the Buddhist calendar there. All Thai government and official documents will have 2550 on it. But people there also use 2007 if needed - say, when talking to farangs (local slangs for western foreigners) or sending correspondence to foreigners, the internet etc.
2007-07-25 01:30:09 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Thailand has a mix.
2550 indicates number of years since the birth of the Lord Buddha.
The days / months are the same as the western (Gregorian) calendar, and year 2551 will start on January 1st, 2008.
Songkhran is a new year" based on the "agrarian cycle", i. e., the rainy season is about to start and farmers have to start preparing their rice fields.
2007-07-24 18:32:27 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes this is true they use a different year. New Year's day for Thai people happens in April; it is called "SONGKRAN". This year is the year 2550 in Thailand. The reference point is Lord Buddha's birth 543 before Jesus Christ.
Hope this helps!
2007-07-24 08:15:16 · answer #4 · answered by Jon C 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No No No, You guys are almost correct but it's not The Lord of Buddha born. But the Buddha's death. gbdelta1954 is correct.
Let me refer the sentence from MR Jon C and change some of the mistake.
"The reference point is The Lord of Buddha's death 543 years before Jesus Christ was born". It means the Jesus Christ was born after the death of The Lord of Buddha 543 years later.
To African Farmer: That's incorrect sir! It should be the indication of The Lord of Buddha's death not birth. Meaning to say, they count year 1 after his death not born. 2550 means he has died for 2550 years
2014-07-17 21:38:11 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋