The Burmese & Arakanese Calendars

by Alfred Macdonald Bulteel Irwin

THE
BURMESE & ARAKANESE CALENDARS.

THE

Burmese & Arakanese
Calendars

 

BY

A. M. B. IRWIN, C.S.I.,

INDIAN CIVIL SERVICE.

 

Rangoon:
PRINTED AT THE HANTHAWADDY PRINTING WORKS,
46, Sule Pagoda Road.

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1909.

PREFACE.

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In 1901 I published "The Burmese Calendar." It was written in Ireland, and in the preface I admitted that I had not had access to the best sources of information. I can claim that the book was not inaccurate, but it was incomplete. I have since made the acquaintance of the chief Ponnas in Mandalay, and have learned a good deal more on the subject of the calendar, chiefly from U Wizaya of Mandalay and Saya Maung Maung of Kemmendine, to whom my acknowledgments are due. I therefore contemplated issuing a second edition, but when I applied myself to the task of revision I found it was desirable to re-write a good deal of the book, and to enlarge its scope by including the Arakanese Calendar. The title of the book therefore changed.

My object has been to make the book intelligible and useful to both Europeans and Burmans. This must be my excuse if some paragraphs seem to one class or another of readers to enter too much into elementary details.

I have endeavoured firstly to describe the Burmese and Arakanese Calendars as they are. Secondly, I have shown that an erroneous estimate of the length of the year has introduced errors which have defeated the intentions of the designers of the calendar, and I have made suggestions for reform. Thirdly, I have compiled tables by which English dates may be translated into Burmese dates and vice versa.

Table I for past years and Tables II and III for future years embrace a period of 262 years. For any day within this period the Burmese date equivalent to the given English date, or vice versa, may readily be ascertained by the use of Table IX, combined with Table I or II or III as the case may be. The method is described in the notes on Table IX at page 39.

CORRIGENDA.

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Since going to press the following errors have been discovered.

Page 7. Paragraph 35. For 365.2687564814, read 365.2587564814.

Page 8. Paragraph 39. Line 7. To the figures 29.530583 add four more places of decimals, viz., 2147. The figures will read, 29.5305832147.

Same page and paragraph. Line 8. For 5.846, read 58.46.

Page 16. Paragraph 59. For $+{\frac {R}{25}}$ read $-{\frac {R}{25}}$

Page 25. Footnote. For 450 read 479.

Page 72. Columns 5 and 6. The figures 97 1 should be one line lower down, opposite the Burmese year 1291.

The figures 100 3 should be one line lower down, opposite the Burmese year 1307.

The figures 98 4 should be one line lower down, opposite the Burmese year 1337.

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I must also admit that in paragraphs 81 and 82 the expression "reduce to days" is not quite correct or appropriate, and may make the paragraphs somewhat obscure. The subject is very briefly and incompletely dealt with in Thandeikta.

Also in paragraph 89 I omitted to give a rule for finding the Thokdadein. It is very simple. The rule in Thandeikta is $\mathrm {T} =30m+n-{\frac {m}{2}}-\mathrm {Y}$.

In the particular case considered m = 4, and n = 14. $\therefore \mathrm {T} =132-\mathrm {Y}$.

A. M. B. I.

TABLE OF CONTENTS.

			Page.
CHAPTER	I.	Introduction	1
CHAPTER„	II.	Definitions	4
CHAPTER„	III.	General Description of the Calendar	7
CHAPTER„	IV.	Methods of Calculation	15
CHAPTER„	V.	Defects, and Suggestions for Reform	26
CHAPTER„	VI.	Notes on the Tables	37

 

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TABLES.

I.	Elements of the Burmese Calendar for 172 years, from A. D. 1739 to 1910, B. E. 1101 to 1272	42
II.	Elements of the Burmese Calendar calculated by Thandeikta for 92 future years, from A. D. 1909 to 2000, B. E. 1271 to 1362	52
III.	Elements of the Burmese Calendar for 92 future years, from A. D. 1909 to 2000, B. E. 1271 to 1362, as proposed to be regulated by de Cheseaux's cycle of 1040 years, commencing from B. E. 1281	58
IV.	Elements of the Arakanese Calendar for 262 years, from A. D. 1739 to 2000, B. E. 1101 to 1362	61
V.	Arakanese Wazo Labyi week-day for 2000 years, from A. D. 639 to 2638, B. E. 1 to 2000	68
VI.	Thokdadein, Week-day and Moon's longitude at the end of the 14th didi of Second Wazo, in watat years, from B. E. 1215 to 1362, calculated by Thandeikta	72
VII.	Comparison of epacts, as found by European and by Makaranta methods	74
VIII.	Comparison of mean new moon and Burmese Civil Lagwe, every month for 29 years	76
IX.	English dates corresponding to the first day of each Burmese month	84
X.	Week-day of any given day in each Burmese month	90