Thai three-tier umbrella: your year by age
“Chat sam chan”, the three-tier umbrella, is an old Thai yearly reading. Eight figures from the Ramakien, the Thai Ramayana, stand around a royal umbrella, each facing one of the eight directions. Your age tells which figure you stand on this year, and each figure has three tiers for the three seasons of the Thai lunar year.
The eight figures
| Figure | Direction |
|---|---|
| Rama | east |
| King Bimbisara | south-east |
| Lakshman | south |
| Thotsakan (Ravana) | south-west |
| Sita | west |
| Sadayu | north-west |
| Hanuman | north |
| Phiphek | north-east |
Adapted from the Thai readings and verses: rituals with clay figures are only mentioned, advice to beware of “a dark-skinned man” became “a new acquaintance who brings trouble”, and wording about near death and about women leaving home was softened.