However, Thai date and time notation reflects the country’s cultural development through the years used.
Despite adopting ISO 8601, Thai official date is still written in D/M/YYYY formats, such as 30 January 2567 BE (2024 AD) or 30/1/2567.
The lunar calendar (Thai: ปฏิทินจันทรคติ; RTGS: patithin chantharakhati) system is based on the cycles of the moon.
Important dates on the Thai calendar were often connected to Buddhism, such as Vesakha Puja (วันวิสาขบูชา; wan wisakhabucha), which commemorates the birth, enlightenment, and passing of the Buddha.
Shaka era[2] (Thai: มหาศักราช; RTGS: Mahasakkarat) is widely used in historical evidence such as stone inscriptions and chronicles from both the Sukhothai and early Ayutthaya periods.
Thais like to use Chula Sakarat in astrological calculations and to indicate the year in inscriptions, legends, records, and chronicles until the time of King Chulalongkorn when he announced its abolition and used Rattanakosin Era instead.
It was announced to be canceled during the early reign of King Vajiravudh, eventually being turned into the Buddhist Era instead.
The Buddhist calendar is widely used in Southeast Asian countries that follow the Theravada school of Buddhism, particularly in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka.
In Thailand, it was formally adopted in 2455 BE (1912 AD), during the reign of Vajiravudh, replacing the Rattanakosin Era.
[5] The time points of days in the past, present, and future, which are found in the Thai language, are expressed using various words, including:[6] The time points of months in the past, present and future, which are found in Thai language, are expressed using many words, including: The time points of years in the past, present and future, which are found in Thai language, are expressed using many words, including: There are two systems of telling time in Thailand.
While modern Thailand primarily uses the 24-hour clock for official purposes, this system remains a cultural heritage from earlier Thai norms.
The 24-hour clock in Thai is used similarly to the international system, especially in formal contexts like transportation, news, military, and government.