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Asalha Puja, or the celebration of the First Sermon of Buddha, is one of the most important religious celebrations in Thailand, a country steeped in Theravada Buddhism. To formally start the commemoration of the teachings of Buddha, the monks and Buddhist ascetics retreat from peripatetic lifestyle in a tradition called the beginning of Vassa or the start of the Buddhist rains retreat. From a Christian perspective, this retreat is equivalent to Lent.