Why festivals in Waldorf Education?

Summerfield Waldorf School & Farm celebrates seasonal festivals as part of our educational philosophy, which emphasizes the connection between the natural world, the rhythms of the year, and the development of the child. These festivals are integral to Waldorf Education, and are designed to deepen the child’s connection to nature; celebrate cultural and spiritual significance, development of community and belonging, foster imagination and creativity, practice rhythm and ritual, and learn ethical lessons. Our festivals are coordinated by the faculty, with class parent support.

Autumn

The Autumn season—characterized by change and preparation for Winter—provides a rich context for fostering the values of connection to Harvest and the cycles of Nature. We celebrate gratitude and abundance and honor the ritual and rhythm of Nature’s changing color which provides the child with a sense of continuity and grounding. The warmer months now give way to cooler weather emphasizing change and transformation. Harvest’s landscape offers a spiritual and seasonal reflection on the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. Autumn also creates an innate need for preparation–to gather, conserve, and prepare to welcome Winter. The changing seasons and their inherent challenges encourage thought around the inner work needed for personal growth and emotional resilience.

SEPTEMBER: MICHAELMAS (WORKDAY, PAGEANT & COMMUNITY PICNIC) 
Grades Seven and Eight support
Archangel Michael is mentioned in the Bible, Apocrypha and Koran. He appears as a spiritual figure and protector of humankind, inspiring strength, will, and courage throughout history. The motif of a conqueror of the dragon can be seen in much Chinese art, in Apollo and the serpent, in Krishna slaying demons, and in the familiar story of Saint George and the dragon.

Michael overcoming the dragon with his sword of light is an image that calls us all to be brave, to take command of the ‘dragon’ and transform it. Each of us has our own inner dragon of fear, greed, thoughtlessness or apathy. Michael’s qualities of courage, compassion, and steadfastness can be an inspiration to us all. The festival includes a workday in which students from 2nd through 12th grade work side by side on projects around the campus and farm. The workday is followed by a pageant (play) and a community picnic supper on the grassy fields behind the Lower School buildings.

OCTOBER: SPRITES NIGHT
Grades Three and Four support
A pumpkin-lit path with jack-o’-lanterns carved by our lower and high school students, enchanted scenes from fairy tales and themes from seasonal curriculum, a bonfire, and a homemade meal make up this magical evening welcoming Autumn and its bounty.

NOVEMBER: DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS
For Día de Los Muertos, the Day of the Dead, our students bring photos of their loved ones and classes participate by making offerings for the Offrenda (alter); from the paper skulls, to the butterflies, to the arch. All the students come to the alter to remember and honor those who have passed. On this day, we remember and share the stories of loved ones who have crossed the threshold.

NOVEMBER: LANTERN WALK
Grade 2 Supports
Toward the end of November, our Grade 2 class gathers for a Lantern Walk. This reverent tradition of walking together in silence from the classroom to the farm with their lanterns glowing to light the path is broken only by their Lantern Songs. This is a symbolic representation self-sacrifice stemming from a time when whole communities would come together to bring in the bounty of the harvest and prepare for the long, dark winter. The children learn of Light–how individually we are each a small light but when together, we collectively shine bright. The story of Saint Martin is also shared with the tale of his gift to an old beggar man representing the physical and spiritual “warmth” given and received this time of year.

WINTER

The Winter season, with its themes of darkness, cold, and renewal, offers rich opportunities for growth and reflection. In Waldorf Education, we emphasizes the theme of Light overcoming Darkness, both in the natural world and within the human spirit. We nurture hope and inner strength (Light) to overcome times of inner difficulty (Darkness) and hidden potential. Our festivals in these months center around celebrating light in darkness, cultivating community and togetherness, and practicing a spiritual or inward reflection during this quiet, sentient time of year. The Winter Solstice marks the shortest day and longest night of the year, symbolizing a turning point in the cycle of the seasons where we celebrate the return of light.

DECEMBER: THE ADVENT SPIRALS
Class Advent Walks by the First, Second and Third Grade parents and teachers
Community Advent Spiral by school-wide parent volunteers
Advent is a time of anticipation, preparation, and waiting. This event for the young child from K through second or third grade is a walk into a spiral of greenery where the child lights his/her own candle and then finds a spot on the spiral to place the candle beside others. Gradually, a spiral of light illuminates the darkened room. With this warm light and gentle harp music, a mood of reverence envelops the children at this special time of year. Kindergarten Advent Garden will take place in the classroom during a school day. First through third graders will walk the Advent Spiral in the Eurythmy Barn during an evening event.

DECEMBER: WINTER FAIRE
All Grades Support
This holiday event includes hands-on craft activities such as gingerbread cookie decorating, beeswax candle dipping, and student fundraisers; live music; a puppet show; and a delicious meal with homemade goodies. Local vendors sell a variety of quality handmade gifts such as candles, botanical skincare, eco-homegoods, pottery, books & illustrations, dolls, Waldorf Education materials (silks, toys, wooden blocks), woodworking, textiles, fabrics, jewelry, natural soaps & bodycare, and handmade apparel & accessories.

DECEMBER: SANTA LUCIA DAY
Grade 2 Support
Santa Lucia is a festival of Swedish origin that honors light during the darkest time of the year. The celebration reflects themes of inner light, hope, and generosity, aligning with Waldorf Educations’ emphasis on fostering reverence for cultural and seasonal traditions. The story of Saint Lucia highlights her acts of selflessness of bringing food to people in need of shelter and protection. She wore a crown of candles so her hands could be free to carry the food, inspiring acts of kindness and service in the community. Our school honors Saint Lucia in a lovely procession of 2nd graders who bake Swedish saffron buns (lussekatter) and share star cookies with all the grades in the school, symbolizing the giving spirit.

DECEMBER: THE SHEPHERDS’ PLAY
Support changes yearly;can be held by Faculty or a specific section.  A day performance for students/faculty/staff and a same-day evening performance for SWSF families/community and the general public. 

For decades here at Summerfield, Oberufer’s second play in the trilogy of Christmas productions,‘The Shepherds’ Play’, has been a very special gift for our community. The children, as well as the adults in the audience, learn the lively songs by heart and join in with the actors during the play. It has become a wonderful holiday tradition. Summerfield Waldorf uses a text that was beautifully translated by A.C. Harwood for the first Waldorf educators in England. This nativity play is rooted in a deep and reverent devotion to the Christmas event, however, the scenes and text have been updated over the recent years to be more inclusive of all faith traditions. The simple but powerful messages in this folk drama are ones that will bring warmth to the hearts of young and old throughout the long days of winter.

JANUARY: EPIPHANY BONFIRE
Parent volunteers (no specific grade)
On an evening as close as possible to Epiphany, (weather and burn-day policies permitting), community members are invited to bring their Christmas trees and greenery to campus, to watch them burn in a glorious bonfire. Songs, hot cider and sometimes baked potatoes and cake are shared.

SPRING

Spring, with its emerging warmth, new life, and awakening of Nature, is a powerful symbol of hope, vitality, and potential. This time marks a period of renewal, when the earth awakens from the dormancy of Winter. In Waldorf Education, Spring festivals celebrate a rebirth of nature– as found in the budding of trees, the blossoming of flowers, the arrival of new animals and wildlife, and the return of longer days and sunlight. Spring festivals are a powerful reminder of the life force within all living things. The growth and vitality that emerges with the new season symbolizes the ongoing process of development in both nature and the child. Just as the plants and trees begin to grow again, children are reminded of their own growth and potential, and the importance of nurturing an awareness of life’s energy and the transformative power of growth and change.

MAY:MAY FAIRE CELEBRATIONS
Early Childhood
The Preschool and Kindergarten teachers host May Day celebrations in their play yards each year, complete with festive maypoles and flower crowns for each child.

Lower School
May Faire is an event carried by both teachers and parents as a celebration of spring and the beauty it brings to our campus and our lives, in moving through the cycle of the seasons. The event includes maypole dancing, flower garland making, a procession with a May Queen and her court, a meal, strawberry shortcake and games. It takes place in the morning of a regular school day.

JUNE: EIGHTH GRADE TRANSITION CEREMONY AND HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION
Grades Six and Seven support Eighth Grade; Grades Nine, Ten and Eleven support Twelfth Grade
Graduations are coordinated by the lower school secretary and a high school committee, with support by the classes assigned.