January 2, 2020
This Buddhist holiday commemorates the day that a prince named Siddartha Gautama sat under the Bodhi tree and achieved enlightenment.
Of course, the enlightened Siddartha became the Buddha!
Other names for a Bodhi tree is peepal, sacred fig, or Ficus religiosa. I'm not sure the enlightenment had anything to do with the tree, but for sure was aided by Siddartha's decision to sit for hours in meditation until he found the root of suffering - and how we humans can free ourselves from suffering.
This holiday has a variety of dates, names, and customs, but most commonly it is celebrated on the 8th day of the 12th lunar month of the Chinese calendar. Japanese people like their holidays to fall on the same date each year, and Bodhi Day (called Rōhatsu) is celebrated in Japan every December 8.
By the way, the name Bodhi has become pretty popular in the U.S. all of a sudden; as you can imagine, it means "awakened" or "enlightenment."
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