The period between the Thandingyut Festival in mid-October and the Tazaungdaing Festival in mid-November is known in Myanmar as Kahtein, or monk-appreciation month. Lay Buddhists make donations to their monasteries and weave new robes for the monks. The monks, in turn, enjoy relaxed restrictions on their behavior, apparently.
Different monasteries have different strategies for collecting donations. We’ve seen processions of men wearing bulky papier-mâché monk costumes walking around Aung San Stadium.
At least one monastery in Dala Township, just south of downtown Yangon, releases dancing buffalo-people into the streets of the city proper to collect donations on their horns. (Check out the video by Myanmore above.)
And on almost every corner, one can see ‘Kahtein trees’, or badaytharpin, gradually fill up with clean, crispy cash and hear the loud droning of Buddhist chants on loudspeakers (which you should definitely not interfere with).
Take advantage of this happy time between the days of human-powered Ferris wheels and the exploding balloon party (which has already begun in Taunggyi) by donating to your favorite monastery today.
