As usual Buddhist devotees observe the eight precepts. It is still the period of the vassa (rainy) season. The Nikiṇi Pōya day is related to the legends that tell the convening of the First Buddhist Council after the passing away of the historical Buddha. The elders of the Buddhist community led by Venerable Mahākassapa recited the ‘Word’ of the Buddha (Buddhavacana) for arriving at a consensus, an early instance of an emerging notion of a Buddhist canon, Tripiṭaka