Why Makha Bucha in Fourth Lunar Month?

[Acharn]

I asked this question in a thread on Makha Bucha day, but there's never been a reply, so I'll try here. On Makha Bucha day this year, 4 March, for the first time, I looked up on the internet what it was supposed to be about. One thing that caught my eye was the statement that Makha Bucha is celebrated on the full moon day of the month Makha, the third lunar month. Now over the years I've noticed some lunar calendar dates. For example the twelfth lunar month, when we celebrate Loi Krathong, is usually more or less in November, the eleventh solar month. So I went to my wall calendar, and it says March 4th this year is the full moon day of the fourth lunar month, not the third. Then I found a reference (NNT News) that said in solar leap years the celebration is in the fourth lunar month, rather than the third. But that doesn't help, because this year isn't a solar leap year (years divisible by four).

Can anyone help me out here? I know the fate of civilization doesn't depend on clearing up my confusion, but I'd really like to know. I've learned over the years that when something in Thailand seems crazy there's usually a perfectly good reason that just never occurred to me.

[KhunBENQ]

Sorry that I can not really shed light on the topic.

BUT: I noticed that the dates of full moon as celebrated here are not always in line with the astronomical/scientific data that you find.

Every year I make up my own wall calendar with Thai holidays, full moon dates, holidays at my home country etc.

Always I have some mismatch with the full moon.

Hope a wise man can finally enlighten us.

Asronomical full moon:

March 6th -> Makha Bucha on March 4th

May 4th -> Bhuddist holiday on May 5th

...

confused

Edited March 14, 2015 by KhunBENQ

[gerry123]

asked this question in a thread on Makha Bucha day, but there's never been a reply,

[Rooo]

Moved to Buddhist Forum.