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Buddhist holy days calendar

In Thailand, Wan Phra (วันพระ), the Buddhist holy day, comes four times every lunar month: people give alms to monks, keep the precepts and go to the temple. This calendar works out every Wan Phra and every Wan Kon (the day before) with the rules of the Thai lunar calendar, including 29 and 30-day months, the doubled eighth month and the added day. It shows the major festivals and what people do on them, and lets you take it all into your own calendar.

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Buddhist holy days calendar

How it works

  1. The Thai lunar calendar (จันทรคติไทย) counts months that begin the day after the new moon: 15 waxing days (khuen 1 to 15 kham), then 14 or 15 waning days (raem). Odd months have 29 days and even months 30. Wan Phra falls on waxing day 8, waxing day 15, waning day 8 and the last day of the month: waning day 14 in a 29-day month, waning day 15 in a 30-day month. The day before each one is Wan Kon, when monks shave their heads.

  2. Twelve lunar months add up to 354 days, eleven fewer than a solar year. To catch up, some years add a second eighth month (adhikamat, "month 8 twice") and have 384 days. Others add a 30th day to the seventh month (adhikawan) and have 355 days. Thai rules never allow both in the same year. 2026 (BE 2569) is an adhikamat year, so Makha Bucha moves to the fourth month, Visakha and Atthami to the seventh, and Asanha and Khao Phansa to the second eighth month.

  3. This calendar is not astronomical. It follows the arithmetic rules of the Suriyayatra, the treatise behind the official Thai calendar, so a "calendar" full moon (waxing day 15) can fall a day before or after the real one. When you tap a day, the tool also shows the exact time of the true full or new moon in Bangkok time, computed by the same engine as our moon phases tool.

  4. The sequence of years (ordinary, extra day, extra month) was produced from the rules described by J. C. Eade (Journal of the Siam Society, 2000) and the open-source pythaidate library, then checked: every Wan Phra of 2026 (BE 2569) matches the calendar published by Thai PBS from the official calendar, and the dates of the major festivals from 2018 to 2026, plus Makha Bucha 2027 (Bank of Thailand holiday notice), are correct.

  5. Margin of error: for years not yet published, the official calendar committee may place an added day (adhikawan) a year earlier or later than the rule, which shifts dates by one day for a few months. For an important ceremony, check with your temple or that year's official calendar (ปฏิทินหลวง). The tool covers 2018 to 2100 (BE 2561 to 2643).

  6. The major festivals follow fixed rules: Makha Bucha on the full moon of the third month, Visakha Bucha on that of the sixth, Atthami Bucha eight days later, Asanha Bucha on the full moon of the eighth month with Khao Phansa the next day, Ok Phansa on the full moon of the eleventh month and Loy Krathong on that of the twelfth. Selling alcohol is banned on five of these days by a Prime Minister's Office notice (2025) issued under the Alcoholic Beverage Control Act of 2008. The .ics file is built in your browser: nothing is sent to a server.

These tools give general information. They do not replace the advice of a doctor or a qualified professional.

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Frequently asked questions

When is the next Wan Phra?
The countdown at the top of the tool shows it as soon as the page opens, with its lunar date. There is a Wan Phra every 7 or 8 days: on waxing days 8 and 15 (full moon), then waning day 8 and waning day 14 or 15.
What is Wan Kon?
Wan Kon (วันโกน) is the day before each Wan Phra. The name comes from kon, "to shave": monks shave their heads and eyebrows that day to get ready for the holy day. For lay people it is the time to prepare the next morning's alms.
Why do some months have a Wan Phra on waning day 14?
Because the odd months of the Thai lunar calendar only have 29 days, so the waning half stops at day 14, which becomes the last Wan Phra of the month. Even months have 30 days and end on waning day 15. In adhikawan years the seventh month also has 30 days.
What is an adhikamat year?
It is a 13-month lunar year in which the eighth month is doubled (เดือน 8 สองหน) to keep pace with the solar year. It comes around three times every eight years. In those years Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha and Asanha Bucha move one lunar month later. 2023 and 2026 were adhikamat years; the next one is 2029.
Can you buy alcohol on Wan Phra?
Ordinary Wan Phra days are not ban days. Alcohol sales are banned on five days a year: Makha Bucha, Visakha Bucha, Asanha Bucha, Khao Phansa and Ok Phansa, with exceptions (international airport terminals, registered hotels and licensed entertainment venues). Rules can change, so check the latest official notice.
What do people do on Wan Phra?
By tradition, people give alms to monks in the morning (tak bat), keep the five precepts or, for the most devout, the eight precepts of the holy day (uposatha sila), and go to the temple to chant and listen to a sermon. Many Thais also avoid alcohol and eat vegetarian that day.
How do I add Wan Phra to my calendar?
In the "Add to my calendar" section, choose the period and what you want (Wan Phra, Wan Kon, major festivals), then download the .ics file. Open it on an iPhone or import it into Google Calendar or Outlook: the days appear as all-day events, with a reminder the evening before if you like.

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