minations at night, Another festival is—iht XcW
Year festival (Siamese: Knti or Tnii\ lasting for
three days. On the first two days, people come to :h?r
flowers to the images of Buddha and food and clothes
to the clergy. On the third day, the entire population
indulge in gambling, excepting the clergy. Another
important festival is known as Tfiot Kathin \ Pali,
Kalhina^ which takes place after the rains, when
robes are distributed to the monks. In Bangkok, the
king himself or some officer of high rank, goes to erery
temple to offer robes to the monks.
With the present age, a tendency to reform the
church has come over Siam, This reform movement
had been headed by the king Mongkut, who looked to
the original Pali sources and made provisions for the
study of Pali in Siara, He was successful in bringing
about the reformation of the rules of discipline of the
church. His minister, Phra: Klan Chao Phaya Thi-
pakon published in 1869 a book Kichanukit or "Book
explaining things clearly'* in which stress is laid on
the Four Noble Truths of Lord Buddha and tke/iz>v-
matha of Abhidhammapitaka*
The result of this reform movement is to divide
the Siamese church into two sects: one, the old ortho-
dox sect and the other, the Dhammayut or the refor-
med sect.
Since then there is a revival of Pali studies in
Siam. It received further impetus by the publication
of the whole of the Pali Tripitaka in 39 Volumes in