✨ As the rains retreat draws to a close, Buddhist communities prepare to mark two of the most meaningful observances in the Buddhist calendar: Wan Ok Phansa (the End of Buddhist Lent) and the Kathina Robe Presentation Ceremony.

🌸 Wan Ok Phansa — rich with traditions such as Tak Bat Devo almsgiving 🙏, boat and lantern processions 🛶🏮, and regional festivals like the Wax Castle Parade 🕯️🏯 — celebrates the conclusion of the three-month retreat. It is also the day of Pavarana 🧘, when monks humbly invite admonition from one another, reaffirming the Sangha’s spirit of mutual guidance.

🧡 Kathina Season — following this comes the joyful time when lay devotees present new robes 👕 and offerings 🎁 to monks, symbolizing unity, generosity, and renewal after the retreat.

🔍📖 Discover more about these living traditions through our past feature articles at the Thailand Foundation website:

🌸Ok Phansa: The End of Buddhist Lent
https://thailandfoundation.or.th/ok-phansa-the-end-of-buddhist-lent/

🙏Kindly Admonish Me: Pavarana Practice
https://thailandfoundation.or.th/kindly-admonish-me-when-i-recognize-my-fault-i-will-make-amends-pavarana-practice-at-the-end-of-buddhist-lent-share/

🕯️Hae Prasat Phueng: The Wax Castle Parade
https://thailandfoundation.or.th/hae-prasat-phueng-the-wax-castle-parade/

🧡Kathina: Annual Buddhist Robe Presentation
https://thailandfoundation.or.th/kathina-annual-buddhist-robe-presentation/

🌏Dhamma Diplomacy: A Historic Rains Retreat in Taxila
https://thailandfoundation.or.th/dhamma-diplomacy-for-peace-legacy-of-a-historic-rains-retreat-in-taxila-pakistan/