2549
Happy New Year everyone! Here in Thailand, we are celebrating the arrival of 2549. Confusing isn’t it?
This celebration is confusing in more ways than one. The first way is pretty obvious: 2549?
Although Thailand officially follows the standard international calendar (a.k.a. Jesus-Time), within the country, the Buddhist calendar is more commonly used to measure years. The Buddhist calendar began at the beginning of the Buddhist era (543 B.C., Jesus-Time). At this point in my blogging, I could do some math for you and explain how we arrive at the number 2549. I will refrain from doing so and instead offer you this: If you cannot figure it out, you are officially too dumb to be my friend. Please leave this website immediately and never contact me again.
Now for the rest of you, let us resume. 2549. Makes sense, right? No.
It is not yet 2549 in Thailand, or anywhere else that I know of. The Thai New Year is celebrated on the Solar New Year in April. Until then, it is still 2548.
So why do I hear people at parties ringing in the New Year, 2549?
The quick answer is, ‘I don’t know.’
Though if I were to speculate, here are some possibilities:
1. Confusion. Plain and simple.
2. New Year’s is a holiday here, although to celebrate 2006 would be akin to celebrating a Christian holiday. Therefore the choices are as follows:
A) Christian Holiday (2006)
B) Erroneous Holiday (2549)
C) No Holiday
Answer: B
3) The Thai people are celebrating in anticipation of the approaching New Year in April. This one I know is not true, for it involves foresight and planning–two things which do not exist in Thailand.
So there you have it friends. Happy New Year 2549!
