Today we celebrated Winter Solstice with our mid-winter spiral. Unlike other festivals, there are no speeches, plays, or presentations. The spiral is held inside in darkness, with the room illuminated by flickering candlelight from a large candle that sits in the centre of a spiral labyrinth created from evergreen branches that have been collected from our beautiful campus.
As we sat quietly and listened to softly played music, each person in the room, in turn, took a candle cradled by an apple into the centre of the spiral, lit it, and then placed the candle along the path. This brightens the path for those who come after.
A celebration of quiet confidence, carrying light into darkness, and sharing light with others, this festival symbolises 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.
Read about why festivals are significant in Steiner Education.
