Khmer Calendar 1987

| Khmer Month | Gregorian Approx. | Days | Notable Event | |-------------|------------------|------|----------------| | Meksak | Jan 1987 | 29 | Cool season continues | | Phalkun | Feb–Mar 1987 | 30 | Meak Bochea (Feb 12) | | Chét | Mar–Apr 1987 | 29 | End of hot dry season | | Visak | Apr–May 1987 | 30 | Khmer New Year (Apr 13-15); Visak Bochea | | Cheas | May–Jun 1987 | 29 | Beginning of rainy season | | Ashad | Jun–Jul 1987 | 30 | | | Sadrapet | Jul–Aug 1987 | 29 | Start of Buddhist Lent (July 11) | | Photrabot | Aug–Sep 1987 | 30 | | | Asoch | Sep–Oct 1987 | 29 | End of Lent (Oct 7) | | Katdok | Oct–Nov 1987 | 30 | Water Festival (late Oct/early Nov) | | Mikkeir | Nov–Dec 1987 | 29 | | | Pirrmeak | Dec 1987 | 30 | End of Gregorian year |

For most Cambodians in 1987, the Gregorian calendar was used for government business, school terms, and Vietnamese-imposed administrative dates. The Khmer calendar governed:

The Khmer calendar, known as Sakarach (សករាជ), is a lunisolar calendar used in Cambodia. It determines traditional holidays, Buddhist observance days (Thngai Sil), and astrological events. For the year 1987 in the Gregorian calendar, the corresponding Buddhist Era year was 2530 (beginning around April 13–14, 1987).

Here is a breakdown of key dates, the new year transition, and major holidays for that year. khmer calendar 1987

These are full moon, half moon, and new moon days when devout Buddhists visit pagodas and observe the 8 or 10 precepts. In 1987, key Thngai Sil included:

To understand why the 1987 Khmer calendar matters, we must remember the context. In 1987, Cambodia was still a closed, war-torn country. The Vietnamese-backed government controlled Phnom Penh, while the Khmer Rouge held pockets along the Thai border.

For ordinary Cambodians, the calendar was a tool of survival and identity: | Khmer Month | Gregorian Approx

The Khmer New Year (Chaul Chnam Thmey) marks the end of the harvest season and the start of a new solar year. It usually falls in mid-April.

Note: For dates between January 1 and April 13, 1987, the Khmer year was still 2529.

Before diving into the specific dates of 1987, it is essential to understand why the Khmer calendar is unique. Unlike the Western Gregorian calendar (solar) or the Islamic calendar (purely lunar), the Khmer calendar is lunisolar. The Khmer New Year ( Chaul Chnam Thmey

In 1987, the calendar functioned as it has for centuries, dictating the dates for Kathina robe-offerings, Pchum Ben (Ancestors’ Day), and the traditional New Year Chaul Chnam Thmey.

Note: There was no intercalary month (extra moon) in 1987. The extra month last occurred in 1985 and would next occur in 1988.