The month-long period following Pavarana when lay Buddhists offer new robes and necessities to monks who completed the rains retreat. Kathina is one of the oldest Buddhist ceremonies, dating to the Buddha himself. The act of offering cloth to the Sangha generates powerful merit because it supports those who dedicate their lives to realizing and transmitting the Dharma. The communal sewing of the Kathina robe symbolizes the unity of the Sangha.