Auspicious days for an ordination (Buat)
Being ordained, even for a few weeks, is a milestone for a young Thai man and his family. Here are the days tradition points to, taking the ordination season into account.
- บวช อุปสมบท
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The best days, month by month
Worked out from the กาลโยค, the lunar days and Thai customs, without a day of birth. Simplified version: for the exact time (ฤกษ์ยาม), ask an astrologer.
October 2026 Saturday 31 October November 2026 Saturday 7 November · Saturday 14 November · Saturday 21 November December 2026 Friday 4 December · Saturday 5 December · Saturday 12 December January 2027 Saturday 9 January · Saturday 30 January · Saturday 2 January February 2027 Wednesday 10 February · Saturday 13 February · Saturday 20 February March 2027 Saturday 6 March · Saturday 13 March · Saturday 20 March April 2027 Thursday 22 April · Thursday 29 April · Saturday 3 April May 2027 Thursday 27 May · Thursday 20 May · Thursday 6 May June 2027 Thursday 3 June · Thursday 10 June · Thursday 17 June July 2027 Thursday 1 July · Thursday 8 July · Thursday 15 July August 2027 Thursday 5 August · Sunday 1 August · Thursday 12 August September 2027 Thursday 9 September · Thursday 16 September · Thursday 23 September What tradition says
Ordinations mostly take place in the two months before เข้าพรรษา, so as to spend the three months of the Rains Retreat at the temple. The กาลโยค and the lunar days apply as for any ceremony.
The final date always depends on the temple and the preceptor (พระอุปัชฌาย์): settle it with them.
How we choose these days
The กาลโยค ("union of times") is computed once a year from the Chula Sakarat year (จ.ศ. = Buddhist year minus 1181), using the formulas of ทองเจือ อ่างแก้ว's Thai astrological almanac as given in the Thai Wikipedia article "กาลโยค": ธงชัย starts from (CS × 10) + 3, อธิบดี from the remainder of CS ÷ 498, อุบาทว์ from (CS × 10) + 2 and โลกาวินาศ from CS + 1120. Each base, divided by 7, 8, 27, 12 and 30, gives the weekday, the ยาม, the ฤกษ์, the ราศี and the ดิถี. The กาลโยค changes on เถลิงศก day, around 16 April. For CS 1388 (16 April 2026 to 15 April 2027), Monday is both ธงชัย and โลกาวินาศ, Saturday is อธิบดี and Sunday อุบาทว์: our results match the tables published by the Thai press.
The lunar calendar is the one from our Buddhist holy days tool (สุริยยาตร rules, months of 29 and 30 days, leap months and leap days). Three ดิถี are read from it. The ดิถีมหาสิทธิโชค, "great success", depends on the weekday: the 14th lunar day on a Sunday, the 12th on a Monday, the 13th on a Tuesday, the 4th on a Wednesday, the 7th on a Thursday, the 10th on a Friday and the 15th on a Saturday, waxing or waning (table by "พลูหลวง", การให้ฤกษ์ฉบับง่าย). The ดิถีเรียงหมอน, kept for weddings, falls on waxing days 7, 10, 13 and waning days 4, 8, 10, 14. Finally, the จันทร์ดับ, the last day of the lunar month, is advised against for ceremonies.
This is a simplified, cautious version. An astrologer also works out the exact time (ฤกษ์ยาม) from the horoscopes of the people involved, the Moon's lunar mansion and eclipses; schools differ, and a press table may follow other rules. The tool shows the year's ธงชัย ยาม as a guide, not a replacement. Everything is computed in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere. These are matters of belief: they promise neither luck nor success, and a day that suits your family matters as much as the calendar.
These tools give general information. They do not replace the advice of a doctor or a qualified professional.
Frequently asked questions
- When should you be ordained?
- Tradition favours the weeks before เข้าพรรษา. The table above takes this into account. The temple then sets the date with the preceptor.
- Can you be ordained during the Rains Retreat?
- Yes, ordination is still possible, but you will not complete a full Rains Retreat. Many families therefore prefer the period before it.
- What are Wan Thong Chai and Wan Athibodi?
- They are the two lucky days of the year's กาลโยค. วันธงชัย, the "victory banner day", is held to be the best day to start a business, move house or compete. วันอธิบดี, the day of authority, comes next: it is chosen for matters of prestige, stability and people. Both change every year, on เถลิงศก day around 16 April.
- What should you avoid on Wan Ubat or Wan Lokawinat?
- By tradition, no happy ceremony is set on these days: weddings, house-warmings, shop openings or taking delivery of a new car. วันอุบาทว์ is said to bring misfortune to people, วันโลกาวินาศ to places, property and groups. Everyday life goes on as usual.
- Why does my result differ from another calendar?
- Thai astrology schools do not all combine the same rules, and many published calendars add a ฤกษ์ยาม (an exact time) worked out by an astrologer. Our tool shows every rule it uses and its source, so you can compare. For an important ceremony, have the day and time confirmed by an astrologer or your temple.