As usual Buddhist devotees observe the eight precepts. It is still the period of the vassa (rainy) season. Historically the Binara Pōya day marks a religiously important event of establishing the female order of the Buddhist saṅgha known as Bhikkhuṇī Sāsana. The historical Buddha’s stepmother, Princess Mahāpajāpati Gotami, became the first female to dorn yellow robes by paving the way for the liberation of generations of women. The annual procession at Mahiyaṅgana, the site of the Buddha’s first visit to Laṅkā (Mahāvaṃsa, ch. 1: 19–43) and one of the sixteen pilgrimage places, takes place with the participation of the Veddās during the Binara Full Moon period.