Category: Holidays & Observances

Bodhi Day

Rohatsu/ Laba/ Bodhi Day: December 8

Rohatsu, Laba and Bodhi Day are all different names for the celebration of the Enlightenment of the the Buddha.

In much of the world is is known as Bodhi Day. In China it is known as the festival of Laba, while in Japan it is known as Rohatsu.

The religion known as Buddhism dates back to the 6th or 5th Century BCE, when the Indian Prince Siddhartha Gautama became the “Buddha,” literally, “the Enlightened One.” The followers of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism observe Rohatsu, Laba, or Bodhi Day, in celebration of the day that the Buddha sat below the Bodhi Tree and meditated on the meaning of life. 

The Great Buddha at  Kōtoku-in, Kamakura, Japan
source: Wikimedia Commons; Bgabel at wikivoyage shared, CC BY-SA 3.0

This day is celebrated mainly by the Buddhists of northern and eastern Asia, and in countries to which those people have immigrated (such as Canada). To many this holiday is known as Bodhi Day and it occurs on the 8th day of the 12th month of the lunar year. With the Japanese adoption of the western calendar (Gregorian) Rohatsu is fixed on December 8th.

For more on Rohutsu and the life of the Buddha:

and these books in your School Library:

St. Nicholas Day

December 6 is St. Nicholas Day, celebrated in Europe, and many places around the world by people of European heritage, including some Canadians. For many, the tradition of gift giving that is usually associated with Christmas Day, or perhaps Christmas Eve, in North America, is instead part of St. Nicholas Day. In many places children go to bed with the expectation that they will wake up to gifts from St. Nicholas, perhaps even money or treats placed in their shoes, left out for him the night before.

source: wikimedia commons

Nicholas lived in the 3rd and 4th Centuries CE (AD). He lived in what is now known as Turkey, but what was then a Greek area of the Roman Empire. What is factual about his life, and what is is myth, isn’t certain. Nicholas was associated with generosity and charity, especially for the poor and for children.

Nicholas became a Bishop in the early Christian Church. He was persecuted and imprisoned by the Roman Emperor, and after he died was eventually identified as a Saint. In the years since his legend has grown, and morphed into various forms. In modern times the figure of St. Nicholas has grown to be known by various guises and names, including Sinterklaas, Kris Kringle, Father Christmas, Pere Noel, and Santa Claus.

Find out more:

Check out these books in your school library, including both fiction and non-fiction:

Krampusnacht

Krampus is coming to give you what you deserve, bad little boys and girls!

Many people all across Europe celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6 each year, as do some people in Canada who have roots in Europe. St. Nicholas comes during the night and leaves presents for good girls and boys. (Look for tomorrow’s post more more information on St. Nicholas.)

In some places, tradition holds that St. Nicholas had a helper– or at least a counterpart, who visited the bad children. Krampus.

In Germany, Austria and other Alpine countries, Krampus became a part of the St. Nicholas story. Half goat, half demon, Krampus is a nightmarish figure who comes for those overlooked by St. Nicholas, who has gifts for the good (or in some cases, the intelligent!). At best Krampus might deliver coal or twigs. But children fear far worse, that Krampus will punish them, torture them, even kidnap them and carry them away to his lair– or to Hell!

Krampusnacht is is observed in many places on December 5, with parades and other celebrations, including the Krampuslauf, or Krampus Run, in which young people dress up like Krampus.

Find out more:

Visit the School Library to borrow!

The Holiday Season

It goes by many different names. The Holidays. The Festive Season. Yuletide. Winter Holidays. The Christmas Season. Advent. The Holiday Season. While there is no official start or end, in North America it is generally considered to run from American Thanksgiving, through December, and into the New Year.

Traditionally this season of the year was dominated by observances based on the Winter Solstice. Many cultures around the northern hemisphere developed celebrations that emphasize the contrast of the cold and darkness of winter with the promise of new light and life in the coming year.

These themes are central to the holy days and festivals of many faiths today.

In North America and Europe during the Christian Era, the season focused on holy days and the rituals around the Nativity of Christ. Often the traditional winter solstice festivals of the Celts, Saxons, Vikings and others were taken over by these Christmas celebrations.

For some, the season is secular in nature, without religious emphasis. The Holiday Season is a time for celebrating with family and friends, giving gifts, reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the new.

For many the Holiday Season can be about all of the above, as we combine a variety of traditions and new practices from the delightful mix of cultures and peoples from around the world.

There many different and wonderful Holidays and Holy Days in the coming weeks. Christmas tends to dominate, but it is imporant to learn about other observances and festivals, such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Rohatsu and many more.

Join us in the School Library as we celebrate this “most wonderful time of the year.” Look for displays and other opportunities for learning about this season of “Holidays and Holy Days.”

Enjoy all that you and your family have brought to this holiday season. Perhaps in learning about other traditions and practices, you might find something new for you to enjoy at this time of year.

Advent

Advent Wreath and Candles.  source: Clemens PFEIFFER, Vienna (CC / wikimedia)

The Holiday Season in the western world has traditionally been synonymous with Advent, literally the period of expectation of an important arrival. For Christians the season of Advent is about the anticipation of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Christ. In the Christian Church, on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, candles are lit as symbols of Advent.

In 2022 the four Sundays of Advent are November 27, December 4, December 11 and December 18.

The Holidays Begin

Happy American Thanksgiving to our southern neighbours and all the transplanted Americans who are in Canada getting a second Thanksgiving for the year.

US President Harry Truman welcomes a delegation of prominent Canadians for American Thanksgiving.

American Thanksgiving marks the unofficial start to the “Holiday Season.” Check back with us a the School Library as we begin our annual look at “Holidays & Holy Days” as 2022 comes to a close over the coming week.

Guru Nanak Dev Ji Gurpurab

The founder of the Sikh religion, Guru Nanak,  was born in 1469 in the north-west of India, (what is now Pakistan.)  He would go on to become the first of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism. In 2022 the celebration of the birth of Guru Nanak is November 8. The day is also referred to as Guru Nanak’s Prakash Utsav and Guru Nanak Jayanti.

Most Canadians of Indian heritage who live in Canada are Sikhs, including many students at Lord Tweedsmuir, and communities throughout Surrey and Greater Vancouver. If you are not Sikh, learn more about Guru Nanak, Sikhism, and the Sikh community. What a great way to better understand your friends, neighbours and fellow Canadians.

Find out more:

Sikh Wiki

Sikh Museum

Canadian Sikh Heritage

Sikh Net

BBC

The Guibord Center

Available at your school library

International Games Month

First there was International Games Day. Then it grew to International Games Week. Now we have International Games Month.

Come down to your School Library in November to celebrate GAMES all month long. We will look at all things related to games and gaming, culminating in the return of Games Day @ Your Library. Visit us in person or online to find out more.