Vassa

Three-month Buddhist monastic rain retreat Offering of vassa candle at the beginning of the vassa, pictured here in Lamphun, Thailand Translations ofVassaEnglishRains RetreatBurmeseဝါတွင်း[wàdwíɰ̃]Chinese雨安居 (Pinyin: yu an ju)Japanese安居 (Rōmaji: Ango)Khmerវស្សា (UNGEGN: vôssa)Laoພັນສາ, ວັດສາ[pʰán sǎː], WatsaTagalogvassaTibetanདབྱར་གནས (Yarne)Thaiพรรษา, วรรษาRTGS: phansa, pronounced [pʰān.sǎː]RTGS: watsaVietnamesean cưGlossary of Buddhism Vassa (Pali: vassa-, Sanskrit: varṣa-, both "rain") is the three-month annual retreat observed by Theravada Buddhists. Taking place during the wet season, Vassa lasts for three lunar months, usually from July onwards. In English, Vassa is also called Rains Retreat. While Vassa is sometimes casually called "Buddhist Lent", others object to this terminology. For the duration of Vassa, monastics remain in one place, typically a monastery or temple grounds. In some monasteries, monks dedicate the Vassa to intensive meditation. Some Buddhist lay people choose to observe Vassa by adopting more ascetic practices, such as giving up meat, alcohol, or s