Pali terms for periods of the day

Night

‘Night’ starts at sunset and finishes at the first moment of dawn. Therefore the ‘watches’ are four hours each: 6pm to 10pm; 10pm to 2am; 2am to 6am.

rattaṃ: night, the time after sunset (atthaṅgate suriye) (Vin.4.17)
rattiyā paṭhamaṃ yāmaṃ: the ‘first watch’. The first watch should be used for walking and sitting meditation (A.1.114).
rattiyā majjhimaṃ yāmaṃ: the second watch. Used for ‘lying in the lion’s posture’, having contemplated the thought of rising (uṭṭhānasaññaṃ manasikaritvā) (A.1.114).

Pre-dawn

In the suttas, the Buddha said monks should rise in the third watch of the night (rattiyā pacchimaṃ yāmaṃ paccuṭṭhāya) and purify their minds of obstructive states i.e. before the first moment of dawn (A.1.114). But in Vinaya texts, monks commonly rise after the third watch i.e. after the first moment of dawn.

rattiyā pacchimaṃ yāmaṃ: ‘the last watch of the night’ (A.1.114).
anto aruṇe: ‘before dawn’. For an undetermined almsbowl, there is no offence if it is determined before dawn (anto aruṇe). Anto aruṇe strictly means ‘within dawn’ (Vin.4.245).
purāruṇā, ‘before dawn’. It is no offence, apparently, to lie down for consecutive nights with a novice if one rises before dawn (Vin.4.17).
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’. Still too dark for the Buddha to recognise Venerable Sariputta sitting under a tree (Vin.2.163).
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ the morning star “shines forth, bright and brilliant” (rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ osadhi tārakā bhāsate ca tapate ca virocati ca) (Iti.20). Still pitch black, then.
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ the Buddha rises (paccuṭṭhāya) and requests Venerable Sona to speak Dhamma (Vin.1.196).
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ young monks rise (paccuṭṭhāya) and ask for food. They are told to wait until it is light (yāva vibhāyati) (Vin.1.78)
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ the group of six monks rise (paccuṭṭhāya) and walk meditation with wooden shoes (Vin.1.188).
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ the Buddha rises (paccuṭṭhāya), goes to his toilet and finds Rahula sleeping there, and asks who it is (Vin.4.16).
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ the Buddha rises (paccuṭṭhāya) to practise walking meditation (S.1.212).
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ monks rise (paccuṭṭhitānaṃ) to discuss Dhamma (D.1.2)
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ the Buddha enters his dwelling after spending the night in walking meditation, and sleeps till after sunrise (S.1.107).
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ Venerable Ananda goes to lie down, and realises arahantship.
rattiyā paccūsasamayaṃ, ‘in the night towards dawn’ Venerable Samiddhi rises (paccuṭṭhāya) and bathes at the hot-springs (S.1.8).
abhikkantāya rattiyā: ‘when the night had far advanced’ a devata appears to Venerable Samiddhi after his bath, illuminating the entire hot-springs (S.1.8). Still dark, then.
abhikkantāya rattiyā: ‘when the night had far advanced’ devatas approach the Buddha, illuminating the entire Jeta’s Grove (S.1.22).
yebhuyyena ratti khepitā hoti: ‘night has almost ended’: people give gifts on Pavarana Day till “night has almost ended” (Vin.1.169).

First moment of dawn

The scriptures do not say how monks recognised the first moment of dawn. The rise of colour vision, the only sudden change in a process of infinite graduations, would have been an obvious choice.

nikkhanto pacchimo yāmo: ‘end of the last watch’: see synonyms below (Vin.2.236; Vin.1.288).
aruṇuggamanā: dawn. Marks the end of the 'wrong time'. The village can be entere (vikālo nāma majjhantike vītivatte yāva araṇuggamanā) (Vin.4.166).
aruṇuggamanā: dawn. Monks can start eating (Vin.4.86).
aruṇe: dawn; synonym of aruṇuggamanā: “There is no offence if before dawn (anto aruṇe) spare bowls are determined (Vin.4.245) or robes happen to be destroyed (Vin.3.202).
rattātikkanto: ‘night having elapsed’. “Ladies, this bowl is to be forfeited by me, a night having elapsed” (Vin.4.243-5)
uddhaste aruṇe: ‘flying up of dawn’. If a Sanghadisesa offence is concealed for the three watches of the night, then it is a dukkata offence if it is not confessed before dawn (so paṭhamampi yāmaṃ chādeti, dutiyampi yāmaṃ chādeti, tatiyampiyāmaṃ chādeti, uddhaste aruṇe channā hoti āpatti Yo chādeti, so dukkaṭaṃ desāpetabbo. Yathāpaṭicchannañcassa parivāsaṃ datvā ubhinnampi mānattaṃ dātabbaṃ) (Vin.2.68).
uddhaste aruṇe: ‘flying up of dawn’. The Buddha, feeling cold, puts on a fourth robe (Vin.1.288).
nandimukhi ratti: ‘night has a face of gladness’; a synonym of nikkhante pacchime yāme and uddhaste aruṇe; for the third time, Ven Ananda asks the Buddha to recite the Patimokkha (Vin.1.288; Vin.2.236)
ratti vibhāyati: ‘night lightens’. Young monks forbidden to eat till this time (Vin.1.78).
ratti vibhāyissati'ti: ‘night lightens’. Monks must complete pavarana ceremony by this time (Vin.1.169)

The period of dawn

aruṇaggaṃ: dawn, the harbinger of sunrise (suriyassa bhikkhave udayato etaṃ pubbaṅgamaṃ etaṃ pubbanimittaṃ yadidaṃ aruṇaggaṃ) (A.5.237).
rattiyā accayena, ‘after the night’, the period of dawn: monks bathe naked in the rain, visible to Visakha’s slave-girl (Vin.1.290-291).
rattiyā accayena ‘after the night’, period of dawn: laypeople start preparing food for monks (D.1.126)
kālasseva, dawn: slaves rise (kālasseva uṭṭhāya) to prepare food (Vin.2.154)
kālasseva, dawn: pupils rise (kālasseva vuṭṭhāya) and offer their preceptors rice-gruel (Vin.1.46)
kālasseva, dawn: forest monks rise (kālasseva uṭṭhāya) and set out for almsround (Vin.2.217).
kālasseva, dawn: monks staying in the open air return furniture to huts (Vin.4.39).
kālasseva, dawn: Brahmans rise (kālasseva uṭṭhahantova) to begin their purifying rites (A.5.263; S.5.361).
kālasseva, dawn: Sigalaka rises (kālasseva vuṭṭhāya) to perform his salutations (D.3.180).

Sunrise

suriyassa udayato, ‘sunrise’: sunrise is heralded by dawn (etaṃ pubbanimittaṃ yadidaṃ aruṇaggaṃ) (A.5.236).
suriye uggate: ‘after sunrise’: Mara accuses the Buddha of sleeping after sunrise (S.1.107)
yāva suriyuggamanā, ‘till sunrise’: in the future, the Licchavis will sleep on soft beds till sunrise (S.2.268)
yāva suriyuggamanā, ‘till sunrise’: in the future, monks will sleep on soft beds till sunrise (S.2.268)
yāva suriyuggamanā, ‘till sunrise’: the Buddha sees junior monks sleeping till sunrise (A.3.299).

Forenoon

pubbaṇhasamayaṃ: morning, time between dawn and midday; time to put on robes for meal invitations (D.1.109; D.1.125; A.3.344) or to go almsround, though it may be too early (atippago) to collect almsfood (D.1.178).
kālo, ‘time’. Donors tell the monks it is ‘time’ when the meal is ready (D.1.109).

Noon

majjhantikaṃ samayaṃ: ‘middle period of the day’ as opposed to morning (pubbanhasamayaṃ) or evening (sāyanhasamayaṃ). Those who live virtuously are happy in all three periods.(A.1.294).
majjhantikaṃ samayaṃ: women with bad qualities spend this time obsessed by envy (S.4.240).

Afternoon

majjhantike vītivatte: it is an offence for a monk to enter the village 'noon having passed’ (Vin.4.166).
majjhantike vītivatte: it is an offence for a monk to eat food 'noon having passed' (Vin.4.86).
vikālo: the ‘wrong time’ to enter the village or to eat food. 'Wrong time' is defined as after noon till dawn (majjhantike vitivatte yāva aruṇuggamanā) (Vin.4.166; Vin.4.86).
dvaṅgulāya chāyāya vītivattāya: at the Second Council, monks wanted to know if they could eat 'till the shadow has passed beyond two fingerbreadths' (Vin.2.306).

Evening

sāyanhasamayaṃ: evening time, the Buddha bathes his limbs having risen from solitude (patisallānā vuṭṭhito) (A.3.344).
sāyanhasamayaṃ: Venerable Punna and Sariputta discuss Dhamma after the day's abiding (divāvihāraṃ) (M.1.147).