Teacher Jantana Khan-anukul Kanchananukroh School

Kathin Ceremony With the end of the 3-month Rains Retreat(about July to September),monks throughout the country are free to move from place to place and are eligible to receive new robes in an annual presentation ceremony called “Thot Kathin”.

Besides new robes, Buddhist literature, kitchen equipment, financial contributions and building materials e.g. nails, hand-saws and hammers etc. are also presented to monks on this occasion. In fact, the word “Thot” means “making an offering to the monk” and the word “Kathin” literary means the “embroidery frame” used in sewing the yellow robes which, in those days, were collected from rags on dead bodies in the jungle since clothes were not available in plenty as nowadays.

Buddhist people regard the “Thot Kathin” Ceremony as the most significant form of merit-making nest to the ordination of their close kin. Thus, once in their lifetime everybody is looking forward to having an opportunity to be the sponsor of a Kathin ceremony as it involves a lot of time, manpower and expense.

Above all, an advance booking must be made with the temple, otherwise, the chance to be a sole sponsor of the Kathin may not be possible especially with the reputable temples. Nontheless, those who fail to be the sole sponsor of Kathin can also take part in the ceremony which, in this type, is known as “Kathin Samakki” or the “United Kathin”.

It is to be noted that Kathin and Pha-pa (or the - Forest Robe or a robe left for the monks to take as a discarded cloth) are totally different from one another, in other words, while the Kathin ceremony can be performed only once a year and only after the end of the Rains Retreat, the Pha-pa ceremony can be performed all the year round and at any time suitable. In addition, while each temple is allowed to accept the Kathin robes only one time in a year,

the Pha-pa robe can be presented to monks as often as possible. Evidently, the Pha-pa ceremony is less significant than the Kathin ceremony which requires greater preparation. Thus, the Kathin is treated as one of the most significant religious events and can take part from the king to the poor people in rural areas.