twelfth lunar month, Bun Kathin (ບຸນກະຖຶນ--offering of new monks' robes and othernecessities) includes the
following activities: offering new monks' robes, making wax castles, offering monks' robes
in a symbolic forest; offering winter blankets to monks; and preparing popped new rice for
monks. Besides bun kathin, Lao people also hold the worship of the Buddha's
relics during this time. It was believed that after the Buddha's nirvana,
his disciples took pilgrimage to various places in Asian to distribute the Buddha's relics
in various temples. Each temple would build a stupa to contain the relics. In
the twelfth Lunar month, people would hold a celebration to pay respects to the Buddha.