SIAMESE MODE OF DIVIDING TIME.
TABLE OF SIAMESE TIME.
60 Winat'ees make
6 Nat❜ees
10 Bats
12 Mongs
12 Tooms
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1 Nat'ee or minute 1 Båt
1 Mong or Tōōm (hour) 1 Wan (day)
1 K'u'n (night)
29 or 30 Wans & K’u'ns make 1 Du'an (month)
12 or 13 Du'ans
10 Pees
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1 Pee (year)
1 Sök, or cycle of ten.
They have no word to denote a week of time. But each day of the seven has its appropriate name and number. Sunday is their first and Saturday their seventh day. By the recurrence of the first and seventh days they are reminded of the elapse of seven days, as we are by the word week.
The days of the week are:-
1st. Wan At’ît 2nd. Wan Chan 3rd. Wan Angk'an 4th. Wan P'ōōt 5th. Wan Prahat 6th. Wan Sõõk
7th. Wan Sow
(day of the Sun) Sunday. (day of the Moon) Monday. (day of Mars) Tuesday. (day of Mercury) Wednesday. (day of Jupiter) Thursday. (day of Venus) Friday. (day of Saturn) Saturday.
Their twelve months are each designated by its appropriate number, excepting the first and second. The former, instead of being called the first month, is called Dúan ái (month ái), the latter, Dúan Yè (month Yèè). The next succeeding month is called Dúan Sám (third month); the next, Dúan Sẽě, (fourth month); and so on through the twelve.
The Siamese have two cycles, one within the other. The greater is twelve years, the smaller ten. The name of the former is Pee, the latter Sok. Every year of each kind of cycle has its own specific name.
The years of the cycle of 12 are :--
1st. Pee Ch'òòat
year of the Rat
2nd. Pee Ch’alòò
Cow
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"2
3rd. Pee K'án
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Tiger
4th. Pee T'aw
Rabbit
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>>
5th. Pee Marong
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59
great Dragon
6th. Pee Masèng
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small Dragon
7th. Pee Mameea
Horse
59
8th. Pee Mamaa
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9th. Pee Wàwk
"3
Goat Monkey
10th. Pee Raka
Cock
39
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11th. Pee Chaw
>>
12th. Pee Kŏŏn
11
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Dog Hog
The years of the cycle of 10 are :-
Eka sōk T'o sōk
1st of the cycle
2nd
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To sök
3rd
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>>
Treeni sök
4th
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Benya sōk
5th
39
Cháw sok Sapp❜á sōk
6th of the cycle.
7th
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Aatt'a sõk
8th
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99
Nöpp'a sōk Samrett'i sök
9th
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"9
10th
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In writing the number of their Era, the name of each cycle, as it chances to be, is always given in the same connection.
Every Siamese is taught to remember carefully the name of each year of the cycle of 12, and by no means to forget the name of the particular year, moon, day of the moon, and day of the week in which he was born. So that at any time, when he would count up the number of the years he has lived, he begins by repeating the names of the years in succession from the one that gave him birth, until he comes back again to his birth-year, keeping tally with his fingers. Thus he counts on until he makes another cycle of twelve, more or less, as the case may be in regard to his age.
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