Tag: Calendar

  • Month — March

    Month — March

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    Background

    • 3rd month of the Gregorian Calendar and has 31 days.
    • First month of the old Roman Calendar.

    Events

    Taw Hlan Yay Nay

    • The resistance against the Fascist regime started on March 27, 1945. March 27 is celebrated as Taw Hlan Yay Nay (Resistance Day).

    Coup d’etat

    • The Union of Burma lost Democracy on March 2, 1962.
      The 17-man Revolutionary Council led by General Ne Win staged Coup D’etat. Many were detained. They include Mahn Win Maung, President of the Union of Burma; U Nu, Prime Minister; Shan Sawbwas / Saophalongs

    Phone Maw & Soe Naing

    • Ko Phone Maw (5th year RIT student and Lanzin Lu Nge) was hit by a stray bullet on March 13, 1988.
    Phone Maw 1
    Phone Maw 2
    • Ko Soe Naing and Ko Myint Oo were also hit and hospitalized in not-so-humane conditions.
      Ko Soe Naing succumbed to the gun shot wounds. Ko Myint Oo survived.
    • March 13 was declared as “Burma Human Rights Day” and “Phone Maw and Soe Naing Nay”.
    • During the Pwint Linn Era, requisites were offered in memory of Ko Phone Maw and Ko Soe Naing.

    Saying

    • Mad as a March hare
  • Month — November

    Month — November

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    Background

    • 9th month of the old Roman calendar. Nov means nine.
    • 11th month of the Gregorian calendar.
    • It has 30 days.

    Events

    November 1

    • It is “All Saints Day”. It is preceded by Halloween (which falls on October 31st).

    Sunday following Halloween

    • DST (Daylight Savings Time) requires resetting the clock according to “Spring forward. Fall back.” Currently, DST is set back in Fall (Autumn) on the Sunday following Halloween.

    November 8

    • It is the Anniversary of my beloved parents.
    My beloved parents

    November 11

    • Three generations chose November 11 for their Wedding or Reception
    • Dr. and Mrs. Chan Taik
    • Daughter Margaret Chan Taik and Dr. Myo Tint
    • Granddaughter Ma Kay and Soe Min Oo (both EC 93)

    November 22

    • John F Kennedy (President of the United States) was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963.
    • Conspiracy Theory about his assassination survives.
    • A few days earlier, President Kennedy gave his speech in Hoston, Texas : “Before this decade is out, we will send men on the moon and bring them safely back to earth.”

    Tazaungdaing

    • It often falls around November.
    • Kathein robe offering often take place in early November.
      It must be held during one month following the Full Moon Day of Thadinkyut (which usually falls in October).

    Veterans Day

    • November 11 is celebrated as Veterans Day in the USA.
    • It is celebrated as Armistice Day in the UK and France.
    • A hundred years ago, Truce was called between the Allied Forces and Germany. The Truce occurred at 11 AM, marking the event with three 11s.
    • WWI (First World War) ended a year later with the Versailles Treaty.

    US Elections

    • The second Tuesday of November is scheduled for US Elections at the various levels.
    • The Presidential Elections occur every four years.
    • The mid-term elections occur every two years. The House of Representatives serve two year terms. One third of Senators are elected every two years.
    • Local races for Elections and Resolutions are held every year.
    • Senators serve six year terms.
      To ensure continuity in the Senate, the election of the Senators is staggered into three groups.

    Commercialization of Thanksgiving

    • Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November.
    • Black Friday & Cyber Monday following Thanksgiving have massive sales. Some start their Black Friday early.
    • Several English words (e.g. November, Black Friday) have lost their original meaning.
  • Calendar Types

    Calendar Types

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    • Academic calendar: It may span two years. For example, the Class of 1958 has to attend classes in 1957 and 1958.
    • Civil calendar : It is used for Civil or Administrative purposes. It is also used for general purpose by people and organizations
    • Early Roman calendar : It covered only 10 months.
      September, October, November and December were 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th months.
      Note that “Sept” stands for 7, “Oct” for 8, “Nov” for 9, and “Dec” for 10.
    • Fiscal calendar : Usually has four Quarters: Q1, Q2, Q3 and Q4
    • Gregorian calendar : Named after Pope Gregory. It has “leap year” correction for century years. A century year is considered a leap year if it is divisible by 400. e.g. 1900 is not a leap year, but 2000 is a leap year
    • Julian calendar : Named after Julius Caesar. It is a revised Roman calendar with 12 months. December is the 12th month.
    • Lunar calendar : It is based on the monthly cycles of the moon. A lunar year usually has 355 days. Some lunar calendars are “pure” (e.g. Islamic calendar). Some lunar calendars are luni-solar calendars.
    • Luni-solar calendar : It syncs up with the solar calendar by adding a month every three years.
    • Mayan calendar : It is a “long count” calendar used by the Mayan civilization. It is made up of 260 days (13 x 20 day group). nThe great cycle used by the calendar ended in December 2012 causing doomsday proponents to raise alarm about the “end of the world”.
    • Myanmar calendar : It is a luni-solar, socio-religious calendar. Many festivals are celebrated on the Full Moon day of selected months (e.g. Kason)The extra month used for synchronization is called “Second Waso”.
    • Religious calendar : It is used to celebrate religious events.
      The Islamic calendar is a purely lunar calendar. Hence, the holy month of Ramadan falls in different months of the Gregorian calendar.
    • Solar calendar : A solar year usually has 365 days. It takes about 365.2422 days for the earth to orbit the sun. The difference is adjusted by adding a day to February in a leap year.
  • Calendars

    Calendars

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    • A solar calendar is based on the orbit of the earth around the sun.
      Typically, it takes 365.2422 solar days to complete the orbit.
      A leap year attempts to adjust the calendar by adding an extra day every four years.
    • A lunar calendar is based on the orbit of the moon around the earth.
      Typically, it takes 29.6 days to complete a cycle.
    • A luni-solar calendar is a “hybrid” calendar that uses “lunar” month and “solar” year.
      The calendars used by Chinese and Vietnamese have 12 months in a year and an extra month in the year in which the Lunar and Solar Calendars are synchronized.
      The CNY (Chinese New Year) and Tet (Vietnamese New Year) occur in late January or early February.
    • Julian Calendar
      Leap year : if a year is divisible by 4
    • Gregorian Calendar
      Leap year :
      if a Century year is divisible by 400
      Other years if divisible by 4
    • Burmese Calendar
      The Burmese use a Luni-Solar-Socio-Religious Calendar.
      It is used for social and religious events.
      There are 12 lunar months with a total of 355 days in a Common Burmese Year.
      There is a difference of 10 days with a Common Year in the Gregorian Calendar.
      An inter-calary month named “Second Waso” is usually added every three years to sync again with the Solar Calendar.
      It is known as “Wah Htutt”.
      If needed, an additional day is added in “Wah Gyi Htutt”.
    • Civil Calendar
    • Academic Calendar
    • Appointment Calendar
  • Talk — November

    Talk — November

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    Video Broadcast on November 21, 2020

    Nov means 9

    • 9th month of old Roman Calendar
    • 11th month of Gregorian Calendar

    November 1919

    • Truce declared for First World War (WWI)
    • Nov 11, 11:11 AM
    • Armistice Day
    • Veteran’s Day (USA)

    November 1963

    President John F Kennedy

    • “Men on the Moon” speech at Rice University in Houston, Texas
    • Assassination on November 22 at Dallas, Texas
    • Books, Movies about JFK

    Thanksgiving

    Fourth Thursday

    • Dinner
    • Family gathering

    Black Friday

    • Discount for shopping

    Cyber Monday

    • Discount for online shopping

    Commercialization

    • Extended period for shopping

    US Election

    Second Tuesday of November

    Yearly :

    • Local

    Every two years :

    • House of Representatives
    • One third of Senators

    Every four years

    • President
    • Inauguration on Jan 20 the following year

    November 2019

    • Gatherings in Singapore and Yangon
    • Panelist at 5th Irrawaddy Literary Festival in Mandalay

    November 2020

    • Wrote “Countdown to RU Centennial” posts
    • Complete 100+ Daily Videos
    • Complete 2500+ articles in Personal Web Site
    5th Irrawaddy Literary Festival
    Videos
  • Talk — New Year

    Talk — New Year

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    Hla Min

    Video Broadcast on December 17, 2020

    Traditional

    • New Year’s Eve on December 31
      Bringing in the New Year (with celebration)
      Dropping the Ball in Times Square in New York
    • New Year on January 1
      Holiday in some countries
    • January is named as after Janus (Two faced God)
      Symbolically, one face looks back at the outgoing year and another face looks at the incoming year
    • In the early days, Burma celebrated January 1 as “Peasants’ Day
    • Later, Peasants’ Day was moved to March 2

    Others

    • Old Roman Calendar starts with March.
    • Persian New Year falls on or around March 21
      First Day of Spring” celebrations
    • Myanmar celebrate Thingyan on or around April 13 for three (or four) days. Myanmar New Year follows Thingyan.
    • Thailand celebrate Songkram (equivalent of Thingyan)
    • Both words derive from Pali and Sanskrit words meaning “Change”.
    • Cula Thingyan (Small Change) occurs every month when the Sun in the Geocentric model moves to another Zodiac Sign.
    • Maha Thingyan (Big Change) occurs every year when the Sun has moved through all twelve signs.
    • Chinese celebrate Chinese New Year (or Lunar New Year) around the end of January or the start of February.
    • Vietnamese celebrate Tet (equivalent of Chinese New Year)
    • Festivities may last a week (or more)
    • Karen New Year (ကရင် နှစ်သစ်ကူး)
    • Special events
      New Year in 2000 (to usher the New Millennium)

    Updates

    There are 220+ talks.

    YouTube
  • Time — New Year

    Time — New Year

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    Hla Min

    Universal

    • January 1 is usually accepted as “New Year’s Day”.
    • Some countries celebrate it as a holiday.
    • December 31 is “New Year’s Eve”.
    • Some sing “Auld Lang Syne” to usher in the New Year.

    Old Calendars

    • The old Roman Calendar has only 10 months starting with March
      So, March signified the New Year
    • Some civilizations celebrate Vernal equinox or First Day of Spring
      e.g. Persian New Year
      So, the New Year will fall around 20th – 22nd March

    Lunar New Year

    • Falls around end of January or beginning of February
    • Celebrated by Chinese and Vietnamese

    Luni-solar New Year

    • Falls in mid-April
    • Celebrated by Burmese / Myanmar, Thai, Cambodia, Laos
    • Burmese New Year follows Thingyan (which means change)
      Maha Thingyan means Great Change (from one year to the next).
      Cula Thingyan means Small Change (from one month/yathi to another month/yathi)
    • 3 or 4 days of Thingyan (also known as Water Throwing Festival)

    Miscellaneous

    • New Year of the indigenous people
      e.g. Karen New Year
  • Calendar — Era

    Calendar — Era

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    AD / CE

    • AD stands for Anno Domini / “In the year of our Lord”
    • Also known as CE (Common Era)
    • Usually differs from the Burmese Era by 638
      Note : Burmese New Year falls in mid-April.
      So, the Gregorian year will span two Burmese years.

    BC

    • BC stands for “Before Christ

    BE / ME

    • Burmese / Myanmar Era
    • Started off with Sasana Era
    • Now differs by 1182 due to “Thet ka rit phyo” (adjustment by two Kings who believed in the astrological “kain khan” sayings)

    SE

    • SE stands for Sasana Era
      Sasana is usually rendered as “Dispensation of Buddha”
    • SE is reckoned from Maha Parinibbana (Death of Lord Buddha)
    • In the mid 1950s, the Sixth Buddhist Council was held at the Kaba Aye (World Peace) Pagoda to celebrate the 2500 year of the Sasana Era.

    Sample Conversions

    Suppose the Burmese Era is 1382 BE,
    then Sasana Era = 1382 + 1182 = 2564
    and Common Era = 1382 + 638 = 2020

    Note:
    January, February, March and early April of 2020 AD will correspond to 1381 BE
    The latter part of April, and May to December of 2020 AD will correspond to 1382 BE.

  • Day

    Day

    by Hla Min

    Updated : Aug 2025

    Solar Day

    • A solar day consists of 24 hours
    • 7 days in a week
    • 28 – 31 days in a month
    • 365 days in a Common Year
    • 366 days in a Leap Year

    Days in a month

    • February has 28 days in a common year, and 29 days in a leap year.
    • April, June, September and November have 30 days.
    • January, March, July, August, October and December have 31 days.
    • January : 31
    • February : 28 (or 29)
      February is the shortest month in the year with 28 days in a Common Year and 29 days in a Leap Year.
    • March : 31
    • April : 30
    • May : 31
    • June : 30
    • July : 31
    • August : 31
    • September : 30
    • October : 31
    • November : 30
    • December : 31

    Days in a year

    • A common year has 365 days, while a Solar year has 365.2422 days.
    • A year which is not a Century year is a Leap Year if it is divisible by 4. The discrepancy of .9688 days is rounded up to a day.
    • A year which is a Century year is a Leap Year if it is divisible by 400. This ensures that there are 97 leap years in four centuries.

    Grapevine

    • February initially had 30 days, but one day each was transferred to July (honoring Julius Caesar) and August (honoring Augustus Caesar) to have 31 days in those months (worthy of Roman Emperors).
    • February was left with 28 days.
    • Ripley’s “Believe it or not” illustrated a grave stone which had February 30.

    Special Days

    We were aware of

    • Father’s Day
    • Mother’s Day
    • Labor Day
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Thanksgiving
    • Independence Day
    • Presidents’ Day
    • Valentine’s Day

    Differences

    For a long time, we were not aware that some special events are celebrated on different days (depending on the country and religious order).

    • Most Christian denominations celebrate according to the Gregorian Calendar.
    • The Orthodox Church celebrate Christmas and Easter according to the old calendars (e.g. Julian).
    • The Theravada Buddhists celebrate the Full Moon Day of Kason as the “Thrice Blessed Day”.
    • The Mahayana celebrate the events (Birth, Enlightenment, Maha Parinibbana) on dates different from those of Theravada Buddhists.

    Some Thoughts

    We later learn about

    • Kabyar (Poem) Nay
    • Myat Saya (Teacher) Nay
    • Secretary Day
    • Friend Day
    • Pi Day

    Some wonder why there is no Grandfather’s Day, Grandmother’s Day or Grandparent’s Day.

    Holidays

    • Not all special days and events are holidays.
    • Even among holidays, there are Public Holidays, State Holidays, and Bank Holidays.
    • There may be good reasons (social, commercial) for having the designated days.

    Thanksgiving

    For us, every day is Thanksgiving (time to repay to our parents and mentors for their unbounded love and care).

    Adeline Hpyu Hpyu Aung wrote :

    Yes Saya. We should be thanking God, Parents and teachers everyday, without them we will not be who we are.

    KMZ wrote :

    • My left brain at times over-analyzed many of these days.
    • Many of these holidays are the work of “Holiday Industrial Complex”.
    • As Ma Adelyne Hpyu Hpyu Aung posted, some of these days like Mothers’ Day/Fathers’ Day should be 365 days a year, not necessarily just the designated day a year.
    • Believe it nor not there also is a ‘National Splurge Day’ which is June 18th.
      US Congress eventually passed a law to stop creating those days.
  • July

    July

    by Hla Min

    Update : July 2025

    Background

    • Fifth month in the old Roman Calendar, and it had 30 days. The month was given an extra day and renamed in honor of Julius Caesar.
    • Seventh month in the Gregorian Calendar.

    My father’s birthday

    My beloved father
    My parents
    • Born on 1st July.
    • Passed away in his 80s.

    Men on the Moon

    • Apollo 11 Mission
    • Eagle (Lunar Module) landed in Tranquility Bay on the Moon on July 20, 1969.
    • Neil Armstrong (Mission Commander) was the first to land on the moon.
    • Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (Lunar Module Pilot) was the second to land on the moon.
    • Michael Collins (Command Module Pilot) circled the Moon and waited for his crew mates to return from the Moon.
    • I wrote a poem “Men on the Moon”. A copy was sent by Mr. Hall (Information Officer, USIA) to NASA. The poem was published in the Guardian.
    Men on the Moon

    US Independence

    • 4th of July

    Martyrs’ Day

    • July 19, 1947
    • Bogyoke Aung San, six ministers, a Secretary and a bodyguard were assassinated.
    Translation of Invictus
    Aung San

    Nine Arzanis were gunned down on July 19, 1947. Eight perished that day. One succumbed a day later.

    Arzanis
    • Bogyoke Aung San passed away at the tender age of 32
      Children : U Aung San Oo, Aung San Lin (GBNF), Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
    • Thakin Mya. : Considered as Deputy Prime Minister
    • Deedoke U Ba Cho : Minister, Journalist ; Grand children : Dr. Khin Hla Cho, Daw Khin Myint Cho
    • Mahn Ba Khaing : Transported Bogyoke (saved & brought by Marie Hla Taw) back; Daughter : Sayama Daw Myint Myint Khaing
    • Mong Pawn Sawbwa Sao San Htun : passed away in the hospital on July 20, 1947; has a hospital named after him; Son Sao Hso Holm
    • U Ba Win : Bogyoke’s elder brother; Son Dr. Sein Win
    • U Razak : Nominated by monks; Former Principal of National School; Sons U Tin Myint & U Hla Kyi
    • ICS U Ohn Maung : Dy. Secy; Was asked to report on behalf of his minister; Sons U Tin Maung Thein, Francis & Dr. Min Min
    • Yebaw Maung Htwe : U Razak’s bodyguard

    There are books (e.g. “Who killed Aung San?”, Eliminate the Elite” by Kin Oung) and documentaries (e.g. “Who really killed Aung San?” by BBC program) about the fateful event.

    Eliminate the Elite

    Dark days in July 1962

    • According to the newspapers, 17 died on July 7, 1962.
    • Ko Aung Khin was stuck by a stray bullet as he was returning from RUBC to his home in Windermere Road. He was listed as the 17th victim.
    • Anniversary celebration of 7th July in 1963 ended with the closure of Universities with the exception of the Faculties of Medical and Engineering.
    • The revered Student Union was demolished on July 8, 1962.

    Posts

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    • Days & Months
    • Events