The Burmese & Arakanese Calendars/Chapter 3

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The Burmese & Arakanese Calendars
by Alfred Macdonald Bulteel Irwin

Chapter 3: General Description of the Calendar

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4637051The Burmese & Arakanese Calendars — Chapter 3: General Description of the CalendarAlfred Macdonald Bulteel Irwin

CHAPTER III.

General Description of the Calendar.

34. According to the Surya Siddhanta a maha-yug of

4,320,000	years contains
1,577,917,828	days.
1,603,000,080	didi.
25,082,252	kaya.
51,840,000	solar months.
53,433.336	lunar months.
1,593,336	adimath.

The greatest common measure of these numbers is 4. Dividing by 4, we get

in 1,080,000	years.
394,479,457	days.
400,750,020	didi.
6,270,563	kaya.
12,960,000	solar months.
13,358,334	lunar months.
398,334	adimath.

35. The length of a mean year, deduced from the above figures, is 365.2687564814 days

= 365 yet	15 nayi	31 bizana	31 kaya	24 anukaya.
= 365 days	6 hours	12 minutes	36.56 seconds

The original Surya Siddhanta neglected the fraction of a day beyond five decimal points, or in other words omitted 1 kaya 24 anukaya = .36 second.

36. The year as thus defined is about 1 minute 12 seconds less than the mean anomalistic year as found by modern science, 3 minutes 27 seconds greater than the mean sidereal year, and nearly 24 minutes greater than the mean tropical year.

37. The Burmese zodiac is divided, as in Europe, into 12 signs ("rathi") each rathi into 30 degrees ("intha," Hindu "amsa"), each degree into 60 minutes ("leikta") and each minute into 60 seconds, ("wileikta"). The names of the signs are:—

	Burmese.	Hindu.	European.
1.	Meiktha.	Mesha.	Aries.
2.	Pyeiktha.	Vrishabha.	Taurus.
3.	Mcdon.	Mithuna.	Gemini.
4.	Karakat.	Karka.	Cancer.
5.	Thein.	Simha.	Leo.
6.	Kan.	Kanya.	Virgo.
7.	Tu.	Tula.	Libra.
8.	Pyeiksa.	Vrischika.	Scorpio.
9.	Danu.	Dhanus.	Sagittarius.
10.	Makara.	Makara.	Capricornus.
11.	Kon.	Kumbha.	Aquarius.
12.	Mein.	Mina.	Pisces.

38. In Burma the zero of celestial longitude does not move with the precession of the equinoxes as in Europe. The year theoretically begins at the moment when the sun enters the sign Meiktha, but as the year is slightly longer than the mean sidereal year, the first point of Meiktha (the zero of longitude) is really moving among the stars away from the equinox, faster than the real precession. The rate of precession of the equinoxes is about 50″ per annum; the rate at which the first point of Meiktha diverges from the equinox is about 59″ per annum.

39. The length of a mean lunar month, deduced from the figures in paragraph 34, is 29.530587946 days

= 29 yet	31 nayi	50 bizana	6 kaya	52.58 anukaya.
= 29 days	12 hours	44 minutes	2.7985344 seconds.

Makaranta, probably following the original Surya Siddhanta, takes the mean lunation at 692/703 × 30 days

= 29.530583 days.
= 29 yet	31 nayi	50 bizana	5 kaya	5.846 anukaya.
= 29 days	12 hours	44 minutes	2.38975 seconds.

40. The mean lunation being a small fraction over 291/2 days, the Burmese ordinary months contain 29 and 30 days alternately. Their names are:

		Days.
1.	Tagu	29
2.	Kason	30
3.	Nayon	29
4.	Wazo	30
5.	Wagaung	29
6.	Tawthalin	30
7.	Thadingyut	29
8.	Tazaungmen	30
9.	Nadaw	29
10.	Pyatho	30
11.	Tabodwè	29
12.	Tabaung	30

	Total	354

41. The remainder of the luni-solar year is made up by inserting an intercalary month at intervals. Approximately seven intercalary months are required in nineteen years. Makaranta inserts exactly seven months every nineteen years. Thandeikta makes corrections for the small fractions remaining in the cycle of Meto. The intercalary month always has 30 days. In Arakan it is inserted between Tagu and Kason, and is called Second Tagu. In Burma proper it is inserted between Wazo and Wagaung, and is called Second Wazo.

42. It is obvious that the intercalary month not only corrects the length of the year, but also corrects the accumulating error of the month to the extent of half a day. In other words, it causes the first day of every alternate succeeding month to fall one day later than it would fall if the intercalary month had not been inserted. The average length of the month is further corrected by adding a day to Nayon at irregular intervals—a little more than seven times in two cycles, 38 years. The intercalary day is never inserted except in a year which has an intercalary month.

43. The days of the month are reckoned in two series, waxing and waning. The 15th of the waxing is the civil full moon day ("labyi"). The civil new moon day is the last day of the month (14th or 15th waning, as the case may be), and is called "lagwè" (moon disappears). It is frequently in advance of the real new moon, as will be seen later.

44. Though Tagu is nominally the first month in the year, it is sometimes the last. The Thagayit number is applied to the solar year, consequently every year except watat year has 11 ambiguous days, bearing identical month names and day numbers, at its beginning and at its end. The latter are distinguished by the word "hnaung" prefixed. Thus B. E. 1257 Tagu waning loth was April i8th, 1895, and B. E. 1257 Hnaung Tagu waning loth was April 6th, 1896. Again, 14th April 1898 from midnight to 1-51-36 P. M. was B. E. 1259 Hnaung Tagu waning 9th. The same day from 1-51-36 P.M. to midnight was B. E. 1260 Tagu waning 9th.

45. Besides the 12 signs of the zodiac, the ecliptic is also divided into 27 nekkats (Hind, nakshatra), representing the 27 days of the sidereal month. The Pali names of the nekkats are almost identical with the Sanskrit names of the nakshatras.

46. The actual length of the mean sidereal month is 27.321661 days. The fraction gave rise in India to three different systems of reckoning the amount of celestial longitude covered by each nakshatra. The following list of nekkats is taken from Thandeikta. Athawani commences at longitude 350°. The spaces in this list differ greatly from both the Indian systems of unequal spaces. The most modern system in India is that of equal spaces, 13° 20′ being assigned to each nekkat.

No.	Burmese name.	Hindu name.	Extent.	Long. of last pt.
1.	Athawani	Asvini	18°	8°
2.	Barani	Bharani	10	18
3.	Krattiga	Krittika	16	34
4.	Rawhani	Rohini	12	46
5.	Migathi	Mrigasiras	14	60
6.	Adara	Ardra	5	65
7.	Ponnapokshu	Punarvasu	27	92
8.	Poksha	Pushya	14	106
9.	Athaleiktha	Aslesha	12	118
10.	Maga	Magha	11	129
11.	Prokpa Palgonni	Purva Phalguni	16	145
12.	Oktra Palgonni	Uttara Phalguni	9	154
13.	Hathada	Hasta	10	164
14.	Seiktra	Chitra	15	179
15.	Thwati	Svati	13	192
16.	Withaka	Visakha	21	213
17.	Anurada	Anuradha	11	224
18.	Zeta	Jyeshtha	5	229
19.	Mulathan	Mula	13	242
20.	Prokpa Than	Purva Ashadha	15	257
21.	Oktra Than	Uttara Ashadha	5	262
22.	Tharawan	Sravana	13	275
23.	Danatheikda	Dhanishtha	12	287
24.	Thattabeiksha	Satataraka	26	313
25.	Prokpa Parabaik	Purva Bhadrapada	10	323
26.	Oktra Parabaik	Uttara Bhadrapada	16	339
27.	Rewati	Revati	11	350

47. The days of the week are named after the sun, moon, and five planets, as in India and Europe, and are generally indicated by numbers.

Day.	Burma.	India.
1. Sunday	Taninganwe Ne
2. Monday	Taninla Ne
3. Tuesday	Inga Ne	Angaraka
4. Wednesday	Buddahu Ne	Budha
5. Thursday	Kyathabade Ne	Vachaspati
6. Friday	Thaukkya Ne	Sukra
0. Saturday	Sane Ne	Sani

48. The Burmese astronomical day begins at midnight, the civil day at sunrise.

49. The following is a translation of one month of the Burmese Thandeikta calendar for forty years, published by Saya Wizaya of Mandalay. The longitudes of the sun, moon and planets are given in signs, degrees and minutes. Rahu is the moon's ascending node, and is regarded as a dark planet which causes eclipses.

English year and month.

1902 January

1902

February

English day.

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

Burmese year and month.

1263

Pyatho waxing.

Pyatho waning.

Burmese day.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Week day

5

6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

Sun

8

9

26

27

28

29

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

4

5

7

9

10

11

12

13

15

17

19

20

21

22

23

24

26

27

28

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

Moon

8

9

10

11

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

24

6

19

2

16

29

13

27

11

26

10

24

8

23

6

20

4

17

0

12

25

7

19

1

13

26

8

20

2

15

52

42

48

9

45

26

40

49

26

25

44

57

2

57

40

7

18

16

57

26

43

51

55

57

0

18

35

54

36

Didi

14

0

1

2

3

4

5

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

50

48

47

48

49

52

57

2

7

14

20

27

33

38

42

46

48

49

48

46

42

36

31

26

22

17

14

11

9

Nekkat

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

0

1

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

49

45

43

42

43

46

49

53

57

1

6

10

13

16

18

17

16

13

9

4

59

53

47

42

36

31

28

25

Mars

9

10

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

0

1

2

3

4

5

7

54

41

28

15

1

48

34

20

7

53

40

27

10

1

49

37

25

13

0

48

36

23

11

58

46

33

20

7

54

Mercury

9

10

3

5

7

8

10

11

13

15

16

18

19

21

22

24

25

26

28

29

0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

46

26

5

43

21

58

34

10

44

16

46

14

40

6

30

51

9

23

36

44

49

50

51

47

36

22

5

30

56

Jupiter

9

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

15

29

43

57

10

24

38

52

5

19

33

47

1

14

28

42

56

10

24

38

52

6

20

34

48

2

16

30

44

58

Venus

10

4

5

6

7

6

5

4

3

2

36

3

27

48

6

21

35

48

0

11

22

31

38

44

43

36

26

11

54

34

13

51

29

7

44

18

47

13

37

1

Saturn

8

25

26

27

28

29

52

59

7

14

21

29

37

44

52

59

7

14

22

29

37

44

51

58

5

12

18

25

32

38

45

52

58

5

12

19

Rahu

6

17

16

15

6

2

59

56

53

50

47

44

41

38

35

32

28

25

22

19

16

12

9

6

3

0

56

53

50

47

44

41

38

34

(1)

0

(4)

6

(3)

0

2

1

2

4

0

8

5

0

1

4

8

7

Night, after 4th beat.

Day, after 1st beat.

Day, after 2nd beat.

Year 1263.

Poksha Ponnami.

Thokdadein

283.

Poksha Ahmwathi.

Thokdadein

298.

50. The difference in time between the entry of the apparent sun and that of the mean sun into the sign Meiktha is called in India Sodhya, and in Burma Thingyan. The length of this period is fixed at 2 yet 10 nayi and 3 bizana (2 days 4 hours 1 minute and 12 seconds). There is a fable about the King of the Nats coming down to reside on earth during the Thingyan. The day on which the Thingyan commences is called Thingyan Kya, and the day on which it ends Thingyan Tet.

51. There have been differences of opinion as to whether the solar year commences at Thingyan Tet or at Thingyan Kya, but the actual practice for many years has been that it commences at Thingyan Tet. This is consonant with the use of mean years in all calculations.