Bodhi Day
Sun, Dec 08
|All Day
Bodhi Day is celebrated in Japan on December 8 every year. It falls on the eighth day of the 12th month of the lunisolar calendar. Bodhi Day is observed to mark the moment that took place 2,500 years ago when Siddhartha Gautama achieved enlightenment and became the Buddha or ‘awakened one'.
Time & Location
Dec 08, 2024, 12:00 AM
All Day
About the event
In Japan, Bodhi Day is known as Rohatsu and was moved to its current date when Emperor Meiji began the westernization of Japan and introduced the Gregorian calendar. Buddhists commemorate this day by meditating, studying the ‘dharma’ (‘universal truth or law’), chanting sutras (Buddhist texts), and performing kind acts towards other beings. Some people mark the day in a more traditional sense by cooking a meal of tea and cakes. Bodhi tree plantings are held throughout the month and are usually accompanied by tea ceremonies, while incense and multi-colored lights are displayed during the following month in the capital city of Tokyo and in towns and villages across the country. It is a spiritually invigorating day that is beneficial to many. Click HERE to view the resources developed by National Today.