During this time of the year when the daylight becomes shorter and darkness grows longer many cultures in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate some form of a Festival of Light.
A common underlying theme in many of these festivals is that although nature appears to be settling into a time of dormancy, sleep and hibernation. Though work and activity continues in other forms, they are not immediately visible.
This can be a gentle reminder of the opportunity for human beings to also work inwardly and make preparations for beautiful new things to blossom in the future. The light shining in the darkness can symbolize the chance to let your own inner light shine out and bring it into the world.
“Advent” is derived from Latin which means “to come into being” and carries the mood of expectancy and hope.
In Waldorf schools all around the world we celebrate an Advent festival in similar ways. Gentle music often plays as the children (and their parents) silently enter the room designed to elicit a mood of wonder and quiet anticipation.
Teachers have placed in the centre of the room a large spiral path of evergreen boughs, sometimes adorned with rocks, plants and flowers.
In the centre of the spiral is a large white or golden candle on a pedestal decorated with twinkling crystals, stones and soft moss. As the candle shines the stones and crystals twinkle like stars on a dark night.
Along the edges of the green spiral path are various golden stars lying on the ground. The room is completely quiet except for the music.
Each child in turn will be given a red apple with a small, unlit candle inserted into it. They will slowly and quietly follow the spiral path into the centre and light their candle from the larger candle. As they return along the path carrying the apple with the lit candle they will place it on one of the golden stars at the edge of the path.
Each participant adds to the collective light and when all have had a turn, the garden path is aglow with the smaller lights.
As we experience the ‘light overcoming the darkness’ we can appreciate how each person in our community can add their own light to the whole.
All of our individual lights shining together are brighter than what anyone of us could achieve alone.