Seasons The Burmese zodiac, like the
Western zodiac, is divided into 12 signs called
yathi ( ). The Burmese signs are identical to Indian and Western signs as they were derived from Indian and ultimately Western zodiac. Each
yathi is divided into 30 degrees ( ); each degree into 60 minutes ( ); and each minute into 60 seconds ( ).
Lunar mansions The zodiac month consists of 27 days, approximating the mean
sidereal month of 27.321661 days. Thus each zodiac day, called
nekkhat ( ), represents a
lunar mansion, or a segment of the
ecliptic along which the Moon revolves around the Earth. Though the names are Burmese adaptations of Sanskrit names, the Burmese system is not the same as the modern Indian system. The Burmese system uses unequal spaces for each segment (from 5° to 26°), and the first segment, Athawani, begins at 350° longitude. The modern Indian system uses equal segments of 13° 20' (360° divided by 27), and the first segment, Asvini, begins at 0°. (The zodiac also recognizes a lost 28th constellation, called
Abizi (; Sanskrit:
Abhijit), which apparently made one revolution among these stars in 27 to 28 days.) The
nekkhats are usually used to calculate the
zata (horoscope) of a person or an event. Many historical dates were represented with the
nekkhat position, not with the more common calendrical date.
Weekdays , with the representative vehicle of the rat underneath The Burmese zodiac employs eight signs in a seven-day week, with each sign representing its own day, cardinal direction, planet (celestial body) and animal; it is known as the "Mahabote zodiac". The zodiacs, with slight variations, are also found in Sri Lanka and Thailand. While the eight signs are the most prevalent in modern Burmese zodiac, the zodiac officially also recognizes a ninth sign called
Ketu ( ), which rules over all of the signs. The same sign also appears in Sri Lanka and Thailand under the same name. Ketu's sign is a mythical Animal of Five Beauties called
pyinsarupa ( ) with the antlers of a deer, the tusks and the trunk of an elephant, the mane of a lion, the body of a
naga serpent, and the tail of a fish. Moreover, Rahu and Ketu, while borrowed from Hindu astrology, are different from their original versions. Hindu astrology considers Rahu and Ketu to be the ascending and descending
lunar nodes but Burmese astrology considers them distinct planets. At any rate, the inclusion of Ketu is not due to astronomical necessity but rather cultural. (J.C. Eade points out that "there is no astronomical necessity" for Ketu, whose orbit can be derived from the value of Rahu, and suggests that Ketu was "superfluous to the system, and perhaps even as an entity that owes its origin to a mistake".
Htin Aung says the use of Rahu and Ketu in Burmese zodiac and astrology is for cultural, not necessarily astronomical, value, noting that the nine signs neatly fit the Nine Gods of Burmese animist tradition and indeed are an essential part of the "Ceremony of the Nine Gods" usually held when there is sickness in the house. ==See also==