"The ceremony is called 'Thot Katin', which means to lay down the robes sewed up in patches according to a given pattern, for the priests to take up. The pattern is the 'Katin', which in ancient times the priests of Buddha used in cutting their cloth into patches to be sewed together to make their outer and inner robes. The cloth was cut with a knife because it would be wicked to tear it. In olden time, in Buddha's day, the custom was for the priests to go out themselves to seek old cast-off clothing, and the best of these they would patch together to form the three kinds of priestly robes required. This was one conspicuous mode of self-mortification. But that mendicant custom has gradually given place to the present one of making the garments of new cloth dyed yellow; and prepared by the princely donations of thousands of the affluent, and the more humble contributions of the multitudes of the poor. They begin to make preparations for this season months before the time, until in Bangkok alone, there are many thousands of priests' suits in readiness by the middle of October for distribution at the temples. The cloth is dyed yellow for the purpose, as tradition says, of imitating somewhat the custom of Buddha and his early followers, who preferred a dingy yellow colour for their robes, for the express purpose of making themselves odious in the eyes of the world, that there might be no door of temptation open to them to be conformed to the world. In those days it was the custom of robbers and murderers in Hindustan, where Buddhism began its course, to wear red and yellow clothing as an appropriate badge of their profession. The better classes of the world regarded them with horror, and fled from them. Now, Gautama Buddha, when a prince, had a host of ardent friends who urged him not to abdicate his throne. But he was full set to do it; and this was the mode he took to cut himself off from their sympathy. By assuming the robber's garb, he would rid himself of such ruinous tempters, and yet secure another class of admirers, who would delight to walk with him in the road to Nirvana, to which his whole heart and soul was devoted. "Although there are so many hundreds of Buddhist temples in Siam, none are omitted from this annual visitation. The royal temples are visited by the king, or by some prince or nobleman of high rank, who goes in the king's name. Outside the capital, these royal temples are always visited by deputies of His Majesty, bearing priests' robes and other things provided by the king.