#rohatsu

Happy Christmas

Feliz Navidad

Happy Posadas Naviendas

Happy Hanukkah

Happy Kwanzaa

Happy Ōmisoka

Happy birthday Sarah Paulson

Happy Rohatsu

Happy Solstice

(Not sure if "happy" is correct for all of the holidays, but I wanted to include them just the same)

(not everyone celebrates christmas, and there are many other seasonal holidays that other religions/cultures celebrate, such as hanukkah (jewish), kwanzaa (african-american cultures) , rohatsu (buddhist), solstice (pagan, wicca), zarathosht diso (zoroastrian), diwali (hindu), bodhi day (buddhist), etc.)

This year, the enlightenment of the Buddha is celebrated in many Buddhist countries on December 8.

Bodhi Day is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautauma (Shakyamuni), experienced enlightenment, also known as bodhi in Sanskrit and Pali. According to tradition, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices and resolved to sit under a peepal tree and simply meditate until he found the root of suffering, and how to liberate oneself from it 

Bodhi Day: Bodhi Day is observed in many mainstream Mahayana traditions including the traditional Zen and Pureland Buddhist schools of China, Korea, Japan, and Vietnam. In Japanese Zen, it is also known as Rohatsu. In Tendai and other Japanese sects, it is called either Shaka-Jōdō-e (釈迦成道会?) or simply Jōdō-e (成道会?).

Services and traditions vary amongst Buddhist sects, but all such services commemorate the Buddha's achievement of Nirvana, and what this means for Buddhism today. Individuals may choose to commemorate the event through additional meditation, study of the Dharma, chanting of Buddhist texts (sutras), or performing kind acts towards other beings. Some Buddhists celebrate with a traditional meal of tea, cake, and readings.

Rohatsu:  The word Rōhatsu (臘八) is Japanese and literally means 8th Day of the 12th Month. It is typical for Zen monks and layman followers to stay up the entire night before Rohatsu practicing meditation, and the holiday is often preceded by an intensive sesshin. It is observed on the Gregorian date of December 8 as a result of the Westernization of Japan during the Meiji Restoration (1862–1869).

We want to wish our buddhist LGBTQ+ and ally friends a harmonious and happy Bodhi Day / Rohatsu and holiday season, whether they spend it with the family they were born into, or with their chosen family of real life and/or online friends, or on their own.

A lot of love goes out to especially those, who have to hide who they really are in order to stay safe and be able to spend time with their loved ones or who choose to be without their families due to homophobic, transphobic or not accepting behavior from their family members or friends.

Please know you have our full support and warm wishes for the season - and you can reach out to us at any time if we can help in some way!