Origins and Buddhist practices associated with the day marking end of Vassa

Vassa is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada Buddhists. It takes place during the wet season of Vassa, usually from July to October

At the end of the Buddhist lent, each monk must come before the community of monks and atone for an offence he may have committed during the Vassa. This is the reason that the day is also called Pavarana day

This year, the end of the Buddhist lent falls on October 29.

Vassa is sometimes casually called "Buddhist Lent” in English, but some object to this terminology.

For the duration of Vassa, monks remain in one place, typically a monastery or a temple. In some monasteries, the monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation. Some Buddhist devotees choose to observe Vassa by adopting more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or smoking.

In Thailand, the sale of alcohol is prohibited on the first and last days of Vassa.

Commonly, the number of years a monk has spent in monastic life is expressed by counting the number of vassas since ordination.

The origins of lent

In India, where Buddhism began, there is a three-month-long rainy season. In the time of the Buddha, once during the rainy season, a group of wandering monks sought shelter by co-habitating in a residence because they wanted to avoid stepping on the plants of the villagers.

In order to minimise potential inter-personal strife while co-habiting, the monks agreed to remain silent for the entire three months and agreed on non-verbal ways to share alms.

When the Buddha learned of the monks' silence, he instituted the Pavarana Ceremony as a means for dealing with potential conflict and breaches of disciplinary rules during the Vassa season.

Six things Buddhists should practise at the end of Vassa, or "Buddhist lent":

▪︎ Perform acts of merit by offering alms, dedicate merit to deceased relatives.

▪︎ Listen to Dharma teachings, observe precepts, make offerings, or present food and requisites for monks or temples, and participate in Dharma sermons.

▪︎ Offer alms to monks in celebration of the descent from heaven by Lord Buddha

▪︎ Clean and decorate homes, public buildings, and important Buddhist places, including hanging the national and Buddhist flags.

▪︎ Organise exhibitions, lectures, or discussions related to the day at government offices, educational institutions, and temples to disseminate knowledge to the public and interested individuals.

▪︎ Avoid entertainment, engage in fasting, and abstain from harming or consuming animal flesh.