Chapter X: Mode of Dividing Time

The twenty-fours of the day are divided into two equal parts. The day is called _Wán_, and the night _Kún_. The former begins at 6 A.M., and the latter at 6 P.M. The hours of the forenoon are numbered from one up to six, or mid-day. The hours of the afternoon are numbered in the same way. The forenoon is called _Pëla Chow_, and the afternoon _Pëla Bai_. The word denoting an hour of the day is _Mong_, and that denoting an hour of the night is _Toom_. In expressing 9 o'clock, A.M., they would say, _"Sam Mong Chow,"_ or the third hour of the morning. Three o'clock, P.M., they would say, _"Sam Mong Bai,"_ or the third hour of the afternoon. Nine o'clock in the evening, they would say _"Sam Toom."_

Siamese months are lunar months, but often vary from the moon, a day or two. Each month is divided into two parts, the _waxing_ and _waning_ moon. The former has always fifteen days, but the latter has sometimes fifteen and sometimes fourteen. Six of their months have thirty days, and six twenty-nine days, making three hundred and fifty-four days to the year, which lacks eleven days of a full solar year. To compensate this deficiency, they have an intercalary month of thirty days, every two or three years. There is still however, a deficiency of about three days in nineteen years, which is supplied by adding a day to the seventh month from time to time, whenever the astrologers may think proper.

They have no word to denote a week of time, but each day has its appropriate name and number, commencing at Sunday and ending at Saturday. By the recurrence of the first and seventh days, they are reminded that seven days of time have elapsed.

The days of the week are:

1st. Wan Atit, (day of the sun,) Sunday. 2d. Wan Chan, (day of the moon,) Monday. 3d. Wan Angkan, (day of Mars,) Tuesday. 4th. Wan Póot, (day of Mercury,) Wednesday. 5th. Wan Prahat, (day of Jupiter,) Thursday. 6th. Wan Sook, (day of Venus,) Friday. 7th. Wan Sów, (day of Saturn,) Saturday.

Their months are numbered from one up to twelve, and have no particular names, but are designated by their numbers. The first and second months, it is true, are called by names, but their names have the same meaning as their numbers.

They have two cycles, one within the other. The greater cycle is twelve, the smaller ten. The former is called _Pee_, their common name for year, and the latter is called _Sok_. Every year of each kind of cycles has its own specific name.

The years of the cycle of twelve are:

1st. Pee Chóoat, _year of the Rat._ 2d. Pee Cháloo, _year of the Cow._ 3d. Pee Kán, _year of the Tiger._ 4th. Pee Taw, _year of the Rabbit._ 5th. Pee Marong, _year of the Great Dragon._ 6th. Pee Maseng, _year of the Small Dragon._ 7th. Pee Mameea, _year of the Horse._ 8th. Pee Mamaa, _year of the Goat._ 9th. Pee Wawk, _year of the Monkey._ 10th. Pee Raka, _year of the Cock._ 11th. Pee Chaw, _year of the Dog._ 12th. Pee Koon, _year of the Hog._

The years of the cycle of ten are:

Eka Sók, 1st. _cycle._ To Sok, 2d. _cycle._ Tree Sok, 3d. _cycle._ Chattawa Sok, 4th. _cycle._ Benya Sok, 5th. _cycle._ Chaw Sok, 6th. _cycle._ Sapta Sok, 7th. _cycle._ Atta Sok, 8th. _cycle._ Woppa Sok, 9th. _cycle._ Samretti Sok, 10th. _cycle._

In writing the number of their era, they mention the name of each cycle, as it happens to be. For instance, January 1870, would be 1231 _Pee Maseng Eka Sok_, year of the _small dragon_, 1st of the cycle of 10, and 1231 of the civil era. The Siamese sacred era is reckoned from the time of Budha's supposed death, which, on the full moon of May 1870, was 2413 years. This era is only used in religious matters. The civil era is reckoned from the time that _Pra Rooang_, a Siamese king of great celebrity, established it, and on March 27, 1870, was 1231 full years.

Although the Brahmin astrologers manage to calculate eclipses with considerable accuracy, the great mass of the Siamese are wholly ignorant of their true cause. They attribute them to _Rahú_, a terrible monster who threatens to devour the sun and moon. When they see an eclipse of any kind coming on, they commence firing guns, beating gongs and tin-pans, and shouting, to frighten away _Rahú_. The late king however, studied astronomy, and could calculate eclipses in the European way, and did much to dispel the ignorance of his subjects in regard to such matters.