Kathina ceremony

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The Kathina ceremony , depending on the country Kathin ( Thai ทอดกฐิน , RTGS Thot Kathin ) or Kahtein ( ကထိန် ), is a Buddhist ceremony in Cambodia , Laos , Myanmar , Sri Lanka and Thailand , during which new robes are given to the monks . This annual ceremony usually takes place after the end of the three-month rainy season retreat, i.e. July to mid-October, and serves to earn merit ( puñña ) and to express gratitude to the monks.

The ceremony

The Kathin ceremony consists of a colorful procession in which dancers make their way along the road to the temple, followed by those carrying the gifts for the monks. The gifts are housed in metal bowls or consist of banknotes, which are fluttering attached to small wooden trunks wrapped in gold and silver.

The gifts are handed over in silence, and those gathered kneel in front of the monks sitting in a row. For the ceremony to proceed correctly, at least five monks must be present within the Sema stones of the monastery that form the boundary of the monastery. The donor must declare that he is handing over veritable Kathin robes. The presiding monk then announces this to the assembly and then quotes from the rules of the order. The congregation usually replies with "sadhu" (so be it). The donor then shows the robes after which the monks pray their ritual texts. Now the donor and the other assemblies hand over the other items necessary for correct clothing: the loincloths, the shoulder scarves and the robes. There is also a bowl for the alms, a razor blade, a sewing needle, a sash and a sieve. Now other gifts can be made while the monks quote ritual texts and the dispenser pours water as a libation from one cup into another (kruat nam). This ends the religious part of the ceremony.

Other festivities are then held, such as games, entertainment and boat races.

to form

There are basically two types:

• The royal Kathin ceremony, where the king or a member of the royal family hands over the gifts and robes; this happens exclusively in temples that are under the auspices of the royal family ( Wat Luang ) . It is often associated with a royal barque procession .
• The Kathin ceremonies of the general public, which take place in the other temples and are held a little less festively.

The chun kathin ceremony is a special form that is usually held on the last day of the Kathin period. The robe to be handed over must take place in a continuous process from picking the cotton , spinning , weaving the fabric, cutting and sewing the robe and dyeing the fabric in yellow-orange color. This time-consuming process has to be done within 24 hours and many helpers are required. The robe is then presented in the same way as an ordinary Kathin robe.

etymology

Kathina is a Pali word that stands for the wooden frame that is used to cut monks' robes. The size of the frame measures about one meter by two meters (originally three sok by five sok , i.e. 1.5 m × 2.5 m).

( See: Old weights and measures (Thailand) )

history

In ancient times, monks made their own robes by taking fabrics from the garbage, sewing them together and dyeing them. It was only later that the robes were made and sold to be handed over to the monks.

In the Rattanakosin era, the royal Kathin ceremony was held annually between the 6th and 9th nights of the waning moon of the 11th month. This is also the time when the royal barque procession takes place in Thailand . Nowadays the royal family takes over the duties in 16 temples, which are under the special auspices of the royal family, and delegates these for the other temples in the country to official government agencies and private organizations. This is also known as Kathin Ratchathan.

Traditionally, the Kathin ceremony for a temple is only performed once a year. Upon completion, a flag with a crocodile symbol will be hoisted in front of the entrance to the temple. This is done according to an old legend according to which a crocodile once wanted to earn good earnings by taking part in the Kathin ceremony. But when she was tired and unable to follow the boat on the way to the temple, she asked the donor to put up a flag for him so that she could at least earn some merit.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
2. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
3. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from June 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.