Kathina
Kathina is a Buddhist festival which comes at the end of Vassa, the three-month rainy season retreat for Theravada Buddhists in Bangladesh (known as Kaṭhina Cībar Dān), Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand, and Vietnam. The season during which a monastery may hold Kathina is one month long, beginning after the full moon of the eleventh month in the Lunar calendar (usually October).
| Kathina | |
|---|---|
Former Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand offers robes to monks in the 2010 Kathina. | |
| Also called |
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| Observed by | Bangladeshi Buddhists, Burmese, Cambodians, Karen Buddhists, Laotians, Sri Lankans, Malaysian Siamese, Thais, Indian Buddhists. |
| Type | Buddhist |
| Frequency | Annual |
| Related to | Vassa |
It is a time of giving, for the laity to express gratitude to bhikkhus (Buddhist monks). Lay Buddhists bring donations to temples, especially new robes for the monks. The gift of the Eight Requisites (Attha Parikara, or Atapirikara in Sri Lanka) is also part of the offerings.
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