With the end of the 3 month Rains retreat (about July to September),Monks Througout the country are free to move from place to place And are eligible to recive new robes ...... an annual presentation ceremony called " thort kathin" .Besides new robes, Buddhist .....( Erature),kitchen equipment , financial contributions and building material e.g. Nails, hand..... Saws and hammers Etc . Are also presented to monks on this occasion .
In fact the word " Thort" means "making an offering to the monk " and the won....... " kathin"" literary means the " Embroidery frame" used in sewing the yellow robes which in those days, were collected from rags on dead bodies in the jungle since clothes were not available in plenty as nowa-days. Buddhist people regard the " thort kathin" ceremony as the most significant form of merit-making next to the ordination of their close kin... Thus, once in their lifetime everybody is looking forward to having an op-portunity to be the sponsor of the kathin ceremony as it involves a lot of time, manpower and Expens....above all, an advance booking must be made with the temple , otherwise ,the chance ...... Be a sole sponsor of the kathin may not be possible especially with the reputable temples Nonetheless ,those who fall to be the sole sponsor of kathin can also take part in the ceremony which, in this type,is know as "kathin samakhi" or the "United Kathin".
Sometimes a kathin group will travel for several hundred kilometers by bus ,train ,baot......even by plane to present the kathin robes and other necessities to monks in remote temples or in other countries where Buddhist temples are established .People thus hold this merit -making festival not only for earning merit for themselves ,but also for enjoying ...fun filled holiday free from the daily hectic life full of stress and strain in the city during the thot kathin period.it very common to see kathin processions traveling to and From throughout the country .In fact, anybody can take part in the even through the simple method of enclosing a small account of money in the white envelope given by friends or relatives .
It is to be note that kathin and phapa(or the forest robe or a robe left for the monks to take as a discarded cloth) are totally different from one another ,in other words which the kathin ceremony can be performed only once a year and only after the end of this rains Retreat, the phapa ceremony can be performed all the year round and at any time suitable . In addition ,while each temples is allowed to accept the kathin robes only once time in a year .The pha pa robe can be presented to monks as often as possible .Event dently. the pha pa ceramony is less significant than the kathin ceremony which requires greater preparation .thus,the kathin is treated as one of the Most significant religious events and can take part from the king to the poor people in rural areas.