12-08 Bodhi Day
December 8th, 2009
Bodhi Day:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhi_Day)
Bodhi Day (成道会?, Jōdō-e), traditionally the 8th day of the 12th lunar month (See Chinese Calendar), has been observed on December 8 in Japan since the Meiji Restoration (1862-1869). It is the Buddhist holiday that commemorates the day that the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni or Siddhartha Gautauma, experienced enlightenment, also known as Bodhi in Sanskrit or Pali. According to tradition, Siddhartha had recently forsaken years of extreme ascetic practices and resolved to sit under a Pipul tree and simply meditate until he found the root of suffering, and how to liberate one’s self from it.
Traditions vary on what happened. Some say he made a great vow to nirvana and Earth to find the root of suffering, or die trying. In other traditions, while meditating he was harassed and tempted by the asura Mara (literally, “evil one” in Sanskrit), demon of illusion. Other traditions simply state that he entered deeper and deeper states of meditation, confronting the nature of the self.
Constitution Day (Uzbekistan):
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uzbekistan)
Uzbekistan, officially the Republic of Uzbekistan (Uzbek: O‘zbekiston Respublikasi or Ўзбекистон Республикаси), is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia, formerly part of the Soviet Union. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south.
Once part of the Persian Samanid and later Timurid empires, the region was conquered in the early 16th century by Uzbek nomads, who spoke an Eastern Turkic language. Most of Uzbekistan’s population today belong to the Uzbek ethnic group and speak the Uzbek language, one of the family of Turkic languages.
Uzbekistan was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 19th century and in 1924 became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, known as the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic (Uzbek SSR). It has been an independent republic since December 1991.
Feast of the Immaculate Conception:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_the_Immaculate_Conception)
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception celebrates belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is celebrated on 8 December, nine months before the Nativity of Mary, which is celebrated on 8 September. It is the patronal feast day of the United States. It is celebrated by the Roman Catholic Church as well as other Christian churches.
Festival of Lights (France):
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Festival_of_Lights_(Lyon))
The Festival of Lights (French: Fête des lumières) in Lyon, France expresses gratitude toward Mary, mother of Jesus on December 8 of each year. This uniquely Lyonnaise tradition dictates that every house place candles along the outsides of all the windows to produce a spectacular effect throughout the streets. The festival, which includes other activities based on light, usually lasts 4 days, with the peak of activity occurring on the 8th. The two main focal points of activity are typically the Basilica of Fourvière which is lit up in different colours, and the Place des Terreaux, which hosts a different light show each year.
Cotton Gin Day:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Whitney,_Jr.)
Eli Whitney (December 8, 1765 – January 8, 1825) was an American inventor best known as the inventor of the cotton gin. This was one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution and shaped the economy of the antebellum South. Whitney’s invention made short staple cotton into a profitable crop, which strengthened the economic foundation of slavery. Despite the social and economic impact of his invention, Whitney lost his profits in legal battles over patent infringement, closed his business, and nearly filed bankruptcy.
National Brownie Day:
(excerpted from http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/December/brownieday.htm)
National Brownie Day celebrates chocolatey, chewy brownies.
Brownie lovers, love chocolate. Conversely, chocolate lovers, love brownies. Therefore, its only natural, that we have a special day to celebrate brownies.
It’s fun and easy to enjoy this special day. First, select your favorite brownie recipe, and bake a batch of brownies. You can add nuts, if you prefer. Topping the brownies with chocolate frosting is a good thing, too. Finally, eat them! You can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or as a snack.
(1980) Rock musician John Lennon was shot:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_death_of_John_Lennon)
John Lennon was an English rock musician who gained worldwide fame as one of the founders of The Beatles, for his subsequent solo career, and for his political activism. He was shot dead by Mark David Chapman at the entrance of the building where he lived, The Dakota, on Monday, 8 December 1980; Lennon had just returned from the Record Plant Studio with his wife, Yoko Ono.
Celebrity Birthdays:
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sammy_Davis_Jr.)
Samuel George “Sammy” Davis, Jr. (December 8, 1925 – May 16, 1990) was an American entertainer.
Primarily a dancer and singer, Davis was a childhood vaudevillian, and became internationally famous for his performances on Broadway and Las Vegas, as a recording artist, television and film star, and the only black member of Frank Sinatra’s “Rat Pack”.
At the age of three Davis began his career in vaudeville with his father and “uncle” as the Will Mastin Trio, toured nationally, and after military service, returned to the trio. Davis became an overnight sensation following a well received nightclub performance at Ciro’s after the 1951 Academy Awards, with the trio, became an recording artist, and made his first film performances later that decade. Losing his left eye in a car accident in 1954, he converted to Judaism and appeared in the first Rat Pack movie, “Ocean’s Eleven” in 1960. After a starring role on Broadway in 1956′s “Mr Wonderful”, Davis returned to the stage in 1964′s “Golden Boy”. Davis’ career slowed in the late sixties, but he scored a hit record with “The Candy Man”, in 1972, and became a star attraction in Las Vegas. In 1966 he had own TV Variety show called the Sammy Davis Jr. Show.
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Basinger)
Kimila Ann “Kim” Basinger (pronounced /ˈbeɪsɪŋər/ BAY-sing-ər, often mispronounced /ˈbæsɪndʒər/ bass-in-jər; born December 8, 1953) is an American film actress and former fashion model.
Following her role as a Bond girl in Never Say Never Again (1983), Basinger received a Golden Globe nomination for her work in The Natural (1984). She won an Academy Award, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Award as best supporting actress for her performance in L.A. Confidential (1997). Her film work includes major roles in Batman (1989) and 8 Mile (2002).
(excerpted from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teri_Hatcher)
Teri Lynn Hatcher (born December 8, 1964) is an American actress who is best known for her roles as Lois Lane in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, as Susan Mayer in Desperate Housewives and as Paris Carver in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies. She won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role as Susan Mayer on the television series Desperate Housewives in 2005. In the same year she won the Screen Actor’s Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Comedy Series and was also nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series, but lost out to fellow cast member and close friend, Felicity Huffman.
