Festival Life at LifeWays by Jane Danner

 Festival Life at LifeWays 

by Miss Jane

Rudolf Steiner, who was the inspiration behind the LifeWays movement, gave lectures on the importance of festival life for children and adults. He stressed the importance of marking in an intimate way what was happening in the wide world of nature and how important it was to make it immediate and personal. Our LifeWays festivals are simple affairs. They usually include a story or puppet play, songs and special food. With each one we celebrate the turning of the year. Not all the children will be present for all of the little festivals throughout the year but all the children will experience at least one of our festivals. 

At the end of August, we gathered here at LifeWays to celebrate the children leaving us by having them cross over into kindergarten with our Rainbow Bridge Ceremony. We wove crowns of flowers and sang together and listened to a puppet play. Then we feasted on cake and lemonade. Ceremony and celebration woven together to mark a transition for our very special children.

At LifeWays, we will mark the end of summer with a little celebration of Courage. Songs will be sung about having courage. Then at the end of September we will hear the story of Sabra and the Dragon, feast on dragon bread, slathered in butter and blackberry jam. 

October always brings talk of costumes and trick or treat, although we do not celebrate Halloween at LifeWays, it is certainly present in the children’s discussions at the table! 

In November we will all come together to demonstrate how one little light can brighten the darkest of nights and how if one little light is carried by many individuals, we can light a path through the dark forest. Then we can take that memory home with us to keep a light inside of us through the dark days of winter…I carry my little lantern, my lantern it goes with me.

After winter break the children will wonder if Old Befena will come looking for that child of light and leave us some sweet treat.  Old Befena always leaves her baked goods at LifeWays because she finds that light shining in the eyes of all of our children. 

At the end of January special decorations will go up and we will celebrate the Chinese New Year with dumplings and a story.  And in February we watch to see what will happen when the grumpy ground hog peeks out of his bed.

In March, the Leprechaun might show his face and then again, he might not! But he usually leaves us something golden to eat rather than share his pot of gold.

In April, the Spring Hare will come to announce the coming of spring and to hide the eggs we’ve dyed and to fill the spring baskets that we have made with a little treat.  

In June we will come together and like Mrs. Thaw, work hard to clean and make beautiful our play yard just in time for summer. We mark the end of a day of hard work with songs and food. 

And then we are back to August and the next group of children will be ready to cross the Rainbow Bridge. A whole year marked by ceremony and celebration, story and song, food and feasting. Simple affairs, yet rich and satisfying.