The full moon day of the ninth lunar month is the beginning of Kathina festival which last through the 15th day of the tenth lunar month when the summer retreat course of Khmer monks called Pavāraṇā festival (ceremony for reminding errors made), closes.
On this day, Buddhists prepare offerings to pagodas, especially new robes for monks who have remained in one place for three months of the rainy season. The Kathina festival marks one more religious year of monks.
This year, Therevada Buddhists in Vietnam has two months to celebrate Kathina festival because most of Buddhist countries and Khmer Therevada Buddhists in Vietnam follow the world Buddhist calendar, and the summer retreat this year was one month earlier than the Vietnamese lunar calendar.
The robe offering has become a fine tradition of the Therevada Buddhism and an opportunity to honor the traditional values of Buddhism. Although each country has its own culture and customs, all Therevada Buddhist sects still comply with Buddhist precepts in Buddhist practices.
PH
