December 8, 2007

It's Bodhi Day in some Buddhist traditions. The Japanese name is "Rohatsu". The day commemorates Siddhartha's enlightenment after a week of meditation under the famed bodhi tree (a type of fig). On this day, he shared the founding principles of what the modern world calls Buddhism with his fellow seekers. Many Buddhist temples in Asia have trees believed to be descendants of that fabled fig, and they are venerated on Buddhist festival days. Here's more.

It's also the feast of the Immaculate Conception, which marks the start of the Christmas season in many Catholic countries. Interestingly enough, in Spain, Panama and the Canal Zone, the day now honors all mothers. Yes, it's Mother's Day there.

It's the anniversary of Christmas Seals, first sold in 1904 in Copenhagen, and 100 years ago in the U.S. Here's the story.

It's also the fifth night of Hanukkah

Tips for the day

Beliefnet has a wonderful Being Peace meditation with narration inspired by Zen master Thich Nhat Hahn. Just a couple minutes out of your day (requires Flash).

Here's another link in honor of Bodhi Day — the wisdom of a great teacher — Buddha's Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Path

Natural decorating ideas

Greenery — swathes, garlands, wreaths; over hearths, doorways, windows, and ornamenting stairs.

Ornaments — candles of course, and anything that draws nature and the sun into your home: oranges and other fruits, sun symbols, spirals, stars, moons, baby shapes, animal shapes, decorated cookies, gilded pinecones and nuts, pinecone pomanders, nut and spice balls, kissing balls, mossy balls. The Mother and Babe in all their manifestations. Father Christmas in all his manifestations.

To make a mistletoe kissing ball, use a firm-skinned, green apple (the moisture in the apple keeps the herbs from drying quickly). Insert a strong hanging wire, like a straightened piece of coat hanger. Make sure it holds the apple securely. Wrap small bunches or stems of mistletoe with small lengths of florist's wire. Poke them into the apple's skin. To blend with the mistletoe, you can use evergreens, holly, boxwood, eucalyptus, and other herbs such as bay, rosemary, sage, lavender, anise, hyssop, lemon geranium, oregano, thyme. Top with a beautiful bow.

Nuts and pinecones are lovely natural and symbolic elements with which to decorate, holding as they do the seeds of new life. Single pinecones spray-painted gold and hung with ribbon are inexpensive and beautiful (made my first ones in college!) After they're painted you can also scent them. Dab the edges of the pinecone with clear-drying glue. Sprinkle with ground cloves or cinnamon. Tap off excess spice. Let dry and arrange in a basket.

To create a pinecone garland, you'll need to drill through the base of a bunch of pinecones. String them on fishing line, alternating with big beads if you have them (gold or red are pretty). Pinecones can also be made into angels with the addition of dried milkweed pods, split open and glued on as wings, and a small round nut as a head. Whole walnuts become perfect ornaments with the simple addition of a gold cord.

To make a simple ornament that will echo back thousands of years, take five very straight twigs, pencil-length if you can find them, and weave them into a five-pointed star -- lay them down just as you would draw the star. Bind them at the intersections with raffia, ribbon or glittery twine (you can cheat with a little hot glue). Long cinnamon sticks will work, too, as will broomstraws.

Pine cones make nice firestarters with your Yule log. Here's a Martha Stewart suggestion: soak pinecones in a solution of a gallon of water mixed with a pound of Epsom salts for 24 hours. Let them dry completely, then toss them in the fire for a rainbow of flames.

Other good links for ideas:

Nice article from today's San Francisco Chronicle about the significance of many different plants used for holiday decorating in many traditions.

HGTV has a huge compendium of holiday ideas — from crafts to decorating ideas to homemade gifts.

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