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Waldorf Festival Stories: Why do we walk a winter spiral?

Winter Spiral - Dec 6, 2020

Each year as the Winter Solstice approaches, we hold the quiet festival of the Winter Spiral.  The spiral is ancient and symbolizes the inward-turning we tend to experience as the night grows longer and cold drives us indoors.  It is a festival of reflection on the past year and preparation for the next.

Traditionally, the spiral is held inside in darkness, with the room illuminated only by a flickering candlelight in the center of the spiral. In the darkness, the children find within themselves the courage, curiosity, or maybe a sense of duty to venture to the center of the spiral to the candle which awaits them. They take a different path to find their way out to the end.

This year the Spiral was held outside – and perhaps a new tradition was started.  On December 6th, under the starry sky, our Early Childhood and Ninth Grade Class walked the Spiral.  Then, in frost of the next morning, the other grades took their turn.  Surrounded by the beauty of the natural world, the students silently walked spiral.  While simple, this is a profound experience.

In the spirit of the Winter Spiral, we wish peace to our whole Waldorf Community this holiday season.

Posted in Waldorf News