Kathina
Encyclopedia
Kathina is a Buddhist festival which comes at the end of Vassa
, the three-month rainy season retreat for Theravada
Buddhist
s. The season during which a monastery may hold a Kathina festival is one month long, beginning after the full moon of the eleventh month in the Lunar calendar
(usually October).
It is a time of giving, for the laity to express gratitude to monks. Lay Buddhists bring donations to temples, especially new robes for the monks.
s were journeying with the intention of spending Vassa with Gautama Buddha
. However, Vassa began before they reached their destination and they had to stop. According to Buddha's guidelines for Vassa, mendicant monks shouldn't travel during the rainy season as they may unintentionally harm crops and/or insects during their journey. As such, the monks had to stop..
Afterwards, the Buddha rewarded the monks by demonstrating a way to practice sharing and generosity. A lay disciple had previously donated cloth to the Buddha, so the Buddha now gave that cloth to the group of monks and told them to make it into a robe and then offer it as a gift to one of them. A frame, called a Kathina, was used to spread the robe while it was being made .
. During this period, certain rules of the Vinaya
are relaxed for monks. Kahtein trees called badaytha bin , on which offerings like money are hung, are also offered.
(there is also the transcription "Gathin" in use) is the name for the robes of an ordained monk; the ceremony of Kathina is called Thod Kathin . The Thai lunar calendar
reckons the day after the 11th full moon as Waning 1, Evening, Moon 11 . The presentation of Kathin by the King of Thailand
or HM representative is called The Royal Kathin Ceremony and often has been an occasion for one of Thailand's Royal Barge Procession
s.
Gathin Festival is a traditional Buddhist festival celebrated by villagers in Northeast Thailand (Issan, Isan, Esarn) and Laos. Colorful parades and offering ceremonies at the end of monks´ retreat at local temples. On Owk-Pansa day of the full moon, villagers and city dwellers will go to their local temple for prayers and paying respect to the sacred.
Vassa
Vassa , also called Rains Retreat, or Buddhist Lent, is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada practitioners...
, the three-month rainy season retreat for Theravada
Theravada
Theravada ; literally, "the Teaching of the Elders" or "the Ancient Teaching", is the oldest surviving Buddhist school. It was founded in India...
Buddhist
Buddhism
Buddhism is a religion and philosophy encompassing a variety of traditions, beliefs and practices, largely based on teachings attributed to Siddhartha Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha . The Buddha lived and taught in the northeastern Indian subcontinent some time between the 6th and 4th...
s. The season during which a monastery may hold a Kathina festival is one month long, beginning after the full moon of the eleventh month in the Lunar calendar
Lunar calendar
A lunar calendar is a calendar that is based on cycles of the lunar phase. A common purely lunar calendar is the Islamic calendar or Hijri calendar. A feature of the Islamic calendar is that a year is always 12 months, so the months are not linked with the seasons and drift each solar year by 11 to...
(usually October).
It is a time of giving, for the laity to express gratitude to monks. Lay Buddhists bring donations to temples, especially new robes for the monks.
Origins
As the legend goes, thirty bhikkhuBhikkhu
A Bhikkhu or Bhikṣu is an ordained male Buddhist monastic. A female monastic is called a Bhikkhuni Nepali: ). The life of Bhikkhus and Bhikkhunis is governed by a set of rules called the patimokkha within the vinaya's framework of monastic discipline...
s were journeying with the intention of spending Vassa with Gautama Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
. However, Vassa began before they reached their destination and they had to stop. According to Buddha's guidelines for Vassa, mendicant monks shouldn't travel during the rainy season as they may unintentionally harm crops and/or insects during their journey. As such, the monks had to stop..
Afterwards, the Buddha rewarded the monks by demonstrating a way to practice sharing and generosity. A lay disciple had previously donated cloth to the Buddha, so the Buddha now gave that cloth to the group of monks and told them to make it into a robe and then offer it as a gift to one of them. A frame, called a Kathina, was used to spread the robe while it was being made .
Burma
Kahtein refers to the ceremony during which yellow robes called matho thingan are offered to the Buddhist sangha, between the first waning day of Thadingyut and the full moon day of Tazaungmon in the traditional Burmese calendarTraditional Burmese calendar
The traditional Burmese calendar is a lunisolar calendar based on both the phases of the moon and the motion of the sun. Within each month of the Burmese calendar, a major festival, often Burmese Buddhist in nature, is held...
. During this period, certain rules of the Vinaya
Vinaya
The Vinaya is the regulatory framework for the Buddhist monastic community, or sangha, based in the canonical texts called Vinaya Pitaka. The teachings of the Buddha, or Buddhadharma can be divided into two broad categories: 'Dharma' or doctrine, and 'Vinaya', or discipline...
are relaxed for monks. Kahtein trees called badaytha bin , on which offerings like money are hung, are also offered.
Thailand
Kathin in ThailandThailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
(there is also the transcription "Gathin" in use) is the name for the robes of an ordained monk; the ceremony of Kathina is called Thod Kathin . The Thai lunar calendar
Thai lunar calendar
The Thai lunar calendar , or Dai calendar , Tai calendar, is Thailand's version of the lunisolar Buddhist calendar used in the southeast Asian countries of Cambodia, Laos and Burma, for calculating lunar-regulated holy days...
reckons the day after the 11th full moon as Waning 1, Evening, Moon 11 . The presentation of Kathin by the King of Thailand
Rama (King of Thailand)
The kings in the current Chakri dynasty of Thailand are often referred to as Rama followed by Roman ordinal in English translation. The name Rama was adopted from the name of the Hindu god Rama, a reincarnation of Vishnu....
or HM representative is called The Royal Kathin Ceremony and often has been an occasion for one of Thailand's Royal Barge Procession
Thailand's Royal Barge Procession
Thailand's Royal Barge Procession is a ceremony of both religious and royal significance which has been taking place for nearly 700 years. The exquisitely crafted Royal Barges are a blend of craftsmanship and traditional Thai art. The Royal Barge Procession takes place rarely, typically...
s.
Gathin Festival is a traditional Buddhist festival celebrated by villagers in Northeast Thailand (Issan, Isan, Esarn) and Laos. Colorful parades and offering ceremonies at the end of monks´ retreat at local temples. On Owk-Pansa day of the full moon, villagers and city dwellers will go to their local temple for prayers and paying respect to the sacred.