LifeWays' Festival of Courage Celebration by Miss Scarlett and Miss Emily

 LifeWays’ Festival of Courage Celebration

By Miss Scarlett and Miss Emily

Throughout the year, we celebrate festivals to connect us with the seasonal cycles of nature, establish a yearly rhythm for the children, and to strengthen our community. The Festival of Courage, also called Michaelmas, is the first festival of our school year. Falling near the autumn equinox, it marks the end of the summertime and the harvest season. Although the weather still tends to be warm in our region of the world, the seasons will soon begin to shift, and the days will grow ever-shorter. This shift marks a time of turning inward, a time of gathering strength to face the deepening darkness.

Here at LifeWays, our festival day began with the hand-dyeing of our vibrant yellow capes. A few days before our Festival of Courage celebration, Ms. Jane had each of the children place their cape into the yellow dye and give it a stir. Once everyone had a chance to dip their capes in the yellow, we rinsed them out, and brought them outdoors to dry in the light of the sun and autumn breeze. 

On Thursday, September 29th, the day of our festival, the celebration began with a wonderful story from Ms. Jaimmie. As the children gathered around to listen, the play rug was transformed into a magical land where the adventures of a fiery dragon and a princess took place. Once the tale had been told, we spoke a verse while we placed the yellow capes on each of the children:

Brave and true, I will be. 

Each good deed sets me free. 

Each kind word makes me strong. 

I will fight for what’s right. 

I will conquer the wrong.

After each child had received their cape, each suite began to form their dragon bread.  Working together, we pulled, kneaded, and shaped the dough into almighty dragons. Each dragon was unique, with walnut spikes along its back and raisins for eyes. Once the finishing touches were added, our dragon loaves were baked. We enjoyed them with our chili at lunch later in the day.  

For the rest of the afternoon, the tale of the princess and the dragon lived on in the children’s conversations, stories, and play.