With winter approaching, so comes a variety of winter holidays celebrated by different faiths. For Buddhists, in particular, Bodhi Day (also known as Roast) and New Year’s Eve mark occasions to be observed. For the Montgomery family, the winter season boasts a full roster of holidays to be celebrated, from Buddhist holidays that they celebrate as members of the Palo Alto Buddhist Temple, to the more well known holiday of Christmas. As devout Buddhists, the Montgomery family celebrates Bodhi Day, which is held on Dec. 8 or the closest Sunday prior to the date. This holiday marks the anniversary of the day when a young prince of Northern India named Siddhartha Gateman meditated beneath a fig tree until he achieved the ability to appreciate selfless beauty and thus became Buddha.

Every year on Bodhi Day, the Montgomery family attends a special temple service. “At temple, our Sunday school students give the sermon,” senior Tyler Montgomery said. The congregation also receives symbolic items of the Buddhist faith such as flowers, fruits, candles and incense to place on the altar. “Each offering is symbolic of a different Buddhist teaching,” mother Denise Montgomery said. “Offering flowers signifies the practice of generosity and opens the heart. Offering incense symbolizes moral ethics or discipline. Offering light signifies the stability and clarity of patience or burning away our mental and physical illnesses.”

Another important day of the Buddhist faith is New Year’s Eve. Though it is not considered a holiday, New Year’s Eve serves as a time for cleansing away sins. “At our temple, we listen to the sensei speak and hit our temple bell 108 times to purify ourselves of the 108 sins throughout the year, and help us start the year on a good note,” Montgomery said.

As Buddhists, the Montgomery family also celebrates Christmas, but not in a religious sense. “We still go to Church on Christmas Eve, but the holiday doesn’t hold a religious meaning for us,” freshman Kristin Montgomery said. “It’s more about getting together with family.”