Kathina
Kathina is an important celebration in the Buddhist calendar. This festival celebrates the Buddhist community joining together to present the monks in their monastery with new robes. Buddhist monks dedicate their lives to their religion and only have eight possessions, all of which are gifted to them.
Watch Hivin as he celebrates the Buddhist festival of Kathina with his friends, family and the local community.
My name is Hivin and I'm a Buddhist. I'm getting ready for the festival of Kathina, which happens every autumn. I always wear white clothes like this on special occasions as a sign of purity.
The vihara is our name for a monastery, a place where monks live. I come here to listen to their teachings and to meditate and chant with them in the shrine room, where we have a large statue of the Buddha.
Every year at the festival of Kathina, the monks are given new robes to wear. This is because the monks don't have or want many possessions, and what they do have is given to them by the sangha - the Buddhist community. We call this almsgiving or dana. Giving the monks new robes is our way of saying thank you to them for teaching and being an example to us throughout the year.
On the day of the festival, the whole sangha comes together at the vihara to celebrate. There's vegetarian food and a party atmosphere.
There's a procession through the building and surrounding streets, as a few chosen members of the sangha bring the new robes through the crowd to present to the monks who are waiting at the front at the shrine room.
I love Kathina because it's always a happy day spent with my family, my friends and my community.
What does Kathina celebrate?
Kathina originally takes its name from the frame used to make Buddhist robes, but the celebration marks an event that happened over 2,500 years ago in India. A group of thirty monks were planning on joining their beloved Buddha in the mountains during the three-month rainy season. Unfortunately, the weather was so bad that they could not get there. So instead, the monks used their time meditating and praying together. The Buddha was so impressed they had used their time wisely, that he gave them some cloth to make a new robe. Today, the local community marks this event by presenting their monks new robes to thank them for their hard work and dedication.
How is Kathina celebrated?
Kathina is celebrated at the end of the rainy season, known as vassa, during October and November. Long strips of cloth used to make the monk's clothing are measured out and offered to them as part of the ceremony.
To celebrate, the community will usually spend the day together at the local monastery. A very important event is the presentation of the new robes to the monks in the shrine room, and in some countries, the laity (Buddhists who are not monks) will also place money for the monastery on a specially made tree. In many monasteries, the laity sits behind a rope (which they often hold) while the monks explain some of the teachings of the Buddha and read from the sacred texts. Some may also join the monks in meditation and chanting.
Kathina allows the community to thank the monks for the help they have given them, such as providing the community with spiritual guidance, helping the poor and maintaining their place of worship. Kathina also reminds Buddhists of the importance of giving, called dana. Dana is very important to Buddhists. It is believed that this will lead to good merit for their next life, the Buddhist term for this is punya.
Other Buddhist celebrations
Wesak
Most Buddhists also celebrate a festival called Wesak, which remembers the birth of the Buddha. Theravada Buddhists also believe this day remembers the enlightenment and death of the Buddha. During the festival, many Buddhists go to the temple to hear stories about the Buddha’s life, meditate and repeat mantras. Many Buddhists also give each other cards and gifts as a celebration of the Buddha’s birthday.
Parinirvana Day
On Parinirvana Day, Buddhists commemorate the Buddha’s peaceful death, aged 80, when he attained Nirvana.
Buddhist festivals in pictures
Image caption, Kathina
This picture shows lay members of the Buddhist community presenting monks with their new robes during the festival of Kathina. Kathina allows people to express their gratitude to the monks for all the help they have given them.
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