Buddhist Era (Theravāda)

Buddhist Date Today

Q: What year is it in the Buddhist Era?

Today's Buddhist Era year is BE 2570 (Theravāda reckoning: CE + 544). In Thailand, the equivalent is BE 2569 due to the one-year offset.

As of Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 11:30 PM, today's Buddhist Era (Theravāda) date is:

19 May BE 2570

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Today's Buddhist Era (Theravāda) date — full detail

Date: 19 May BE 2570
Pali / regional scripts: 19 May BE 2570
Short form: 19/5/2570 BE
Month: May
Year: 2570 BE — Buddhist Era
Gregorian: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
Era count formula: BE = CE + 544 (Sri Lanka, Myanmar) or CE + 543 (Thailand)
Sacred days (uposatha): 1st, 8th, 15th, and 23rd of each lunar month
Vesak — full moon of Vesakha: commemorates Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinibbāna
Asalha Puja — full moon of Āsāḷha: commemorates the first sermon at Deer Park

Why today matters

Today is 19 May BE 2570. The Buddhist Era counts time from the parinibbāna — the final passing of the Buddha — making it humanity's oldest continuously-used religious era still in widespread civic use. The BE year is woven into the rhythm of Buddhist life across Southeast Asia: every uposatha (full and new moon observance day), every kathina robe-offering ceremony, every monastic ordination, every Vesak commemoration is anchored to this calendar.

All conditioned things are impermanent — with mindfulness, strive on. — The Buddha's final words, Mahāparinibbāna Sutta

How we compute this

Buddhist Era (Theravāda) is a lunisolar (traditional); solar in thailand calendar. Each year contains Traditional lunisolar: 354 or 384 days; modern Thai civil: 365/366 days, with each month averaging 29.5 days (lunar months) or Gregorian-aligned (Thai). Years are counted from 544 BCE — the year of the Buddha's parinibbāna by Theravāda reckoning (era: BE — Buddhist Era).

The Theravāda Buddhist Era is calculated from 544 BCE — the traditional year of the Buddha's parinibbāna in Kushinagar — making year 1 BE the year *after* the Buddha's passing, following the Indian convention of counting expired years. Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Laos all use this BE = CE + 544 formula. Thailand alone uses the slightly different BE = CE + 543, treating the year of the parinibbāna itself as year 1. The lunisolar form of the calendar — still used for monastic observance even in Thailand — places the new year at Songkran in April, while Thailand's civil calendar follows the Gregorian month structure.

Used by: ≈500 million Buddhists across Theravāda traditions. Regions: Thailand, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos — and Buddhist communities worldwide.

Frequently asked

What year is it in the Buddhist Era?

Today's Buddhist Era year is BE 2570 (Theravāda reckoning: CE + 544). In Thailand, the equivalent is BE 2569 due to the one-year offset.

Why do different Buddhist countries use different BE years?

A one-year offset between Thailand (BE = CE + 543) and the rest of Theravāda Buddhism (Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos — all BE = CE + 544). The difference reflects whether you count the year of the Buddha's parinibbāna itself as year 1, or the year that followed it.

Is the Buddhist calendar lunar or solar?

Traditionally lunisolar — same astronomical basis as the Hindu and Chinese calendars, with months following the moon and intercalary months inserted to align with the solar year. Thailand reformed its civil calendar in 1941 to use Gregorian months, but the religious calendar (for uposatha days, Vesak, kathina) remains lunisolar across all Theravāda countries.

When is Vesak?

Vesak — celebrating the Buddha's birth, enlightenment, and parinibbāna — falls on the full moon of Vesakha, the second lunar month. In Gregorian terms, this is typically in late April or early May.

Are there other Buddhist eras?

Yes — Mahayana Buddhist countries (Tibet, China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam) generally do not use BE for civil purposes. Tibet uses the Rabjung cycle (60-year periods starting in 1027 CE). Japan uses imperial era names (currently Reiwa). Vietnam uses Gregorian alongside the lunisolar calendar for festivals. The BE used in Theravāda countries is therefore distinct from East Asian Buddhist time-keeping.