©Mg Cthu via Unsplash
There's a country where today is not 2026, but 2569. A gap of over five centuries that has nothing to do with time travel or some science-fiction paradox, but rather with ancient traditions and time-measurement systems deeply rooted in local culture.
We're talking here about Thailand, where two ways of counting years peacefully coexist. Alongside the Gregorian system used internationally, Thais follow the Buddhist lunar calendar for religious celebrations and traditional observances. This age-old system places the current year 543 years ahead of our own calendar.
The decision to retain both systems enables the country to keep up with the rest of the world in practical matters, while preserving its own cultural and spiritual roots.
The lunisolar calendar: a balance between the moon and the sun
The Thai Buddhist system belongs to the category of lunisolar calendars, complex mechanisms that combine lunar and solar cycles. To compensate for the natural discrepancy between these two celestial rhythms, a thirteenth intercalary month is inserted approximately every 2.7 years.
This adjustment is essential because the lunar months, which last 29.5 days on average, lag behind the solar year by almost 11 days each year.
A widespread Asian tradition
Thailand is not alone in this practice. Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Sri Lanka also use variants of the Buddhist calendar for traditional purposes. Other lunisolar systems are common in China, Japan and India, while Israel still uses the Hebrew calendar alongside the Gregorian.
It's worth remembering that in the West, we also adopt elements of this type of calendar: the calculation of the Christian Passover is, in fact, based on a lunisolar system.
Daily life between two temporal dimensions
Thais navigate between these two temporal systems on a daily basis. The Gregorian calendar governs most practical and professional activities, while the Buddhist calendar determines the dates of religious festivals and is consulted for astrological practices.
Many official documents, such as birth certificates, and the daily press display both dates, showing how this dual system of time measurement is an integral part of Thai national identity.
(©GreenMe.it 2026/Managing editor: Selma Keshkire - The Press Junction/Picture: Mg Cthu via Unsplash)