In Thailand, every day of the week has its own color. The color of the days is something that every kindergarten school and family teaches kids: yellow Monday, pink Tuesday, green Wednesday, orange Thursday, blue Friday, violet Saturday, and red Sunday.
I am Thai, and I have been told about the colors of the week since I was a young child. I always use it to pick out my outfit for that day or to use on my planner. I just found out not too long ago that the labeling of colors of days is not common worldwide.
The colors of the day in Thailand come from the colors of the daily deities influenced by Hindu beliefs. The Thai names of the seven days correspond to the Thai names of stars and planets. The name of each day of the week is named after the corresponding planet in the Thai astrology textbook, which talks about the stars that affect human life. The names of the stars are derived from the Sanskrit names of Hindu deities associated with the stars. These beliefs include a guardian deity for each day of the week.
| Star order | Name of star in Thai | Name of day in Thai | Name of day in English | God of the day / God of the stars | Meaning of God | Color of God/ Day |
| 1 | พระอาทิตย์
(prá aa-tít) |
วันอาทิตย์
(Wan aa-tít) |
Sunday | Surya/ Aditya |
Sun |
Red |
| 2 | พระจันทร์
(prá jan) |
วันจันทร์
(Wan jan) |
Monday | Chandra | Moon | Yellow |
| 3 | พระอังคาร
(prá angkhān) |
วันอังคาร
(Wan ang-kaan) |
Tuesday | Mangala | Embers | Pink |
| 4 | พระพุธ
(prá pút) |
วันพุธ
(Wan pút) |
Wednesday | Budha | The wise | Green |
| 5 | พระพฤหัสบดี
(prá pá-réu-hàt-sà-bor-dee) |
วันพฤหัสบดี
(Wan pá-réu-hàt-sà-bor-dee) |
Thursday | Brihaspati | The deity is the teacher of the angels. | Orange |
| 6 | พระศุกร์
(prá sùk) |
วันศุกร์
(Wan sùk) |
Friday | Shukra | Merit, brightness | Blue |
| 7 | พระเสาร์
(prá săo) |
วันเสาร์
(Wan săo) |
Saturday | Shani | Sky, Heaven | Violet |
Information courtesy of http://www.thaistudies.chula.ac.th/2018/09/29/%E0%B8%AA%E0%B8%B5%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%88%E0%B8%B3%E0%B8%A7%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%99/
According to legend, the seven gods of the day were made of different creatures, and Shiva cast their spells into powder, wrapped them in different colored cloth, and sprinkled them with elixirs to make them become a daily deity.
Thai people are often fond of wearing clothes according to the daily colors in the past in order to be proper and congenial. It is believed that the color of the day has the power to determine the signs of a favorable outcome in life.
It is assumed that the use of daily colors in everyday life started from 1853-1910 including a tradition in the royal court that introduced the daily usage of color, which is still in effect in the culture and practices of Thai people to this day. It is also popular to choose different things according to the color of the present day to display publically.
