Are there Bodhisatta practices within Theravada?

In the Majjhima Nikaya, there are mentions of Bodhisattvas. For instance, *Bhayabherava Sutta* (4. Fear and Dread) says: > 3. "Before my enlightenment, while I was still ony an unenlightened Bodhisatta..." It is a sentence that is repeated throughout the MN. The *Acchariya-abbhuta Sutta* (123. Wonderful and Marvellous) also says: > "Mindfull and fully aware, Ananda, the Bodhisatta appeared in the Tusita heaven."
I have two questions: 1. Are there Bodhisattva practices in Theravada? (such as the cultivation of Bodhicitta and the six perfections presented in Mahayana traditions) 2. Since we find occurrences in the Pali Canon, why do we often hear that the notion of bodhisattva is a late notion?