The ordination ceremony began in the morning with a modification of a
traditional ritual, thaut phaa paa (the giving of the forest robes). Traditionally, this
ritual is performed by Thai lay people to donate robes, money, and other necessities
to monks for religious merit. The funds raised support the monks and the upkeep of
the temple. Since the 1980s this ritual has been increasingly used across the nation
to raise funds for local development projects; those contributing offerings to the
monks gain merit, and the monks allow the money donated to be used for projects
ranging from building or repairing a school to establishing a local credit union or
village co-operative store. People's commitment to such projects is often stronger
because of the religious connotations behind the source of the funds-they not only
gain merit from the original donations at the phaa paa ceremony, but from supporting
the development project sanctioned by the monks as well.