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Did you know that Candlemas has been celebrated for centuries under different names? As with many festivals today, it has its roots in pagan culture. For example, today, we are more familiar with references to Groundhog Day as a way to mark the coming of spring. However, way before Groundhog Day, this marking of the year was referred to as Candlemas, part of the Christian tradition. But, of course, before the Christian tradition, this day was celebrated by the Celtic people and known as Imbolc, which celebrates Brigid, the Goddess of the Dawn. Regardless of the festival's name, the intention is to celebrate the return of the light that becomes more noticeable on this day. Traditionally celebrated on February 2, it marks the halfway point between Winter Solstice and Spring Equinox. In ancient times, this day was cause for a grand celebration, as our ancestors relied so heavily on what they could grow for nourishment. The sun's return meant restored health and strength in the deepest sense of the word. As well, without the convenience of electricity, once the sun set each evening, candlelight was all they had. Today, we can still feel this cause for celebration when we live in the northern hemisphere. Winter is long and dark and can often lead to feelings of depression in people. Therefore, marking this point can bring a sense of hope. To honour the return of the light, our ancestors built bonfires and made candles. On a practical level, preparing another batch of candles was needed to get through the final weeks of winter. Superstitions around the weather on this day began to unfold. We know this today when we anticipate whether the groundhog will see its shadow. Poems and songs in the days of old referred to weather and what it meant if it was sunny or rainy that day. Annual festivals are so important to help mark the passing of the year. The concept of time is challenging for children, especially younger ones. Festivals are a very meaningful and memorable way to mark time, and Candlemas is a lovely tradition that is very enjoyable for children to celebrate today. Celebrating Candlemas at HomeHere are some beautiful ways to celebrate Candlemas, and the coming of spring with your children. Candle Dipping Candle dipping is a fun and interactive activity that brings this celebration to life. You can easily make beeswax candles in your home or prepare a candle dipping station outside. You will need some old pots, beeswax pellets, and string for the wicks. Here's some detailed instructions to make dipped candles at home. Candle Dipping Activity This is a lovely reverent activity you can do while dipping your candles. Set your melted beeswax at one end of a table and a pot of water at the other. Walk slowly around the table, dipping your string in the beeswax at one end of the table and then in water at the other. Continue circling the table in this way until your candles are the width you would like. As you circle the table, you can sing the following Candlemas song: We dip our candles in the big old tin, And we wait a little bit for it to drip drop in. We make enough to last the year, To bring us joy and bring us cheer. Around and around and around and around...
Recite Candlemas Verses Here are a few verses you can say with your children as you light your candles. A farmer should, on Candlemas Day, Have half his corn and half his hay. On Candlemas Day if the thorns hang adrop, You can be sure of a good pea crop. ____________________________________ When Candlemas Day is bright with sun; Then Winter’s power has just begun – But when Candlemas Day is dark with rain Then Winter’s power is on the wane! ____________________________________ This is a verse that relates Candlemas to Groundhog Day: Badger peeps out on Candlemas Day, and if he finds snow, he walks away. But if the sun is shining down, Badger returns to his hole in the ground. Other Ideas for Celebrating Candlemas
Since Candlemas is a time for new beginnings, this is a good day to get creative and celebrate all that is new.
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Spring is such a time of renewal and comes with a burst of energy. Seasonal celebrations give you a point of focus when choosing stories, crafts and activities to do as a family. Celebrations such as Easter offer a beautiful annual rhythm, something that your child looks forward to re-engaging with each year. It's a special experience to choose activities that become family traditions. VerseThis poem by Kate L. Brown, is one of our favourites. We've used it as a verse and a dramatization where children act it out, pretending they are the seed. In the heart of a seed, Buried deep, so deep, A dear little plant Lay fast asleep. 'Wake,' said the sun, 'And creep to the light.' 'Wake,' said the voice Of the raindrops bright. The little plant heard, And it rose to see What the wonderful Outside world might be. StoryThe Easter Bunny A charming, simple story about how the Easter Bunny learned how to deliver eggs can be found here. This website has really great resources on further ways to celebrate the seasons, ways to bring Waldorf into the home, etc. The Little Brown Bulb Here is an example of a sweet little puppet show that's perfect for Spring! GamesLittle Brown Bulb For this game, the child curls up on a ball and you cover them with a blanket (a nice, heavy one that blocks light really gives an idea of what it is like to be underground! Then you say: A Little Brown Bulb lay asleep in the ground (hands resting on child's back) And there she slept very sound (caress the back) While Old King Winter raged and roared overhead (walk fingers like spiders over the child's back) The Little Brown Bulb did not stir in her bed (rest hands) Then came Lady Spring tip toeing over the lea (tip toe fingers) Fingers to lips as quiet as can be (whisper) The Little Brown Bulb lifted her head (child lifts head) She slipped off her nightie and jumped out of bed! (child lifts the blanket and jumps up!) Sleeping Bunnies This song can be played while lying down on the floor/ grass/etc. As the song indicates, once you wake up you hop about! See the little bunnies sleeping until noon Shall I wake them with a merry tune? Oh so still.....are they ill?... Wake up little bunnies, hop hop hop! Wake up little bunnies, hop hop hop!  CraftsEgg Dying Natural dyed eggs are usually a 2 day project. To prepare, collect leaves and flowers, and secure them to the eggs using panty hose or cheese cloth (they work best when freshly picked, as maleable and moist sticks best to the eggs). After they have sat in the dye, the wrapping is removed revealing the beautiful stamp of the chosen flower or leaf. If you're not so keen on the chemicals in store-bought Easter egg dye, try these nine all-natural options. Each features a colouring agent — a vegetable, fruit juice, or spice — that gives colour to hard-boiled eggs.  Sprouting Beans Spring is a time to observe growth and life, and what better way to pass the days than seeing a baby bean grow right before your eyes? Here is a really easy, visual way to teach children about root systems. Five year olds might also like to hear the story of Jack and the Beanstalk.  Paper Seed Bombs This is another multi step craft that is easy to execute and very rewarding. If you have any old seeds handy, this is the perfect way to use them! Perhaps you can plant to make them as gifts for friends and family, as a way of looking forward to seeing your loved ones again. Turn old paper into some super cool seed balls! This easy science activity and craft are perfect for Earth Day or a unit on gardening or plants and seeds! Spring Butterfly Wands Seasonal crafts are a beautiful way to celebrate the season and to bring the season into our home. This little butterfly wand would be beautiful on a seasonal nature table or used as a little prop when storytelling. This tutorial is for parents to learn from and then bring to their children. We recommend this craft for children aged 9 and up.  With thanks and credit to Lucia Perez from the Comox Valley Waldorf School.
Birthdays are always cause for celebration, especially in Waldorf education. Traditions and rituals help children to experience the rhythm of the year, and celebrating a birthday honours the child’s place in the family and in the world. Below are some suggestions for bringing meaningful traditions to your child's birthday at home. Verse: You can begin the night before. Before bed, you could light a candle and share this verse with your child. When I have climbed into my bed, And dreams begin swirling in my head, And Mother/Father turns off the light, I’ll still be [6] years old tonight. But from the very break of day, Before the children rise and play, Before the darkness turns to gold, Tomorrow, I’ll be [7] years old! [7] kisses when I wake, [7] candles on my cake. Give the number of kisses for their age for the past year and tell them that when they awake, you’ll give one more kiss in the morning. Magical Path: After your child is asleep, you can 'set the stage' so to speak, for their special day. Some families create a path from the child's bedroom to the area of celebration. This could be done with leaves from outside or cut out paper hearts, seashells, balloons or whatever you feel is appropriate for your family. Birthday Ring: In the area you wish to celebrate, you can create a 'birthday table.' This could be as simple as a small table draped with material or silks upon which you can place a wooden birthday ring. The ring usually has 12 - 16 holes around the circle. Each year, you light the numbers of candles your child is turning. Birthday Crown & Cape: To make their birthday a royal affair, in the morning, once they have followed the path to the birthday table, you could ceremoniously place a birthday crown on your child’s head, and a birthday cape on their shoulders. Then you could tell them their birthday story. Birthday Story: After lighting the candles, you can tell a 'Birthday Story' that is unique to the child you are telling it too. The story might include a child looking down on the earth from above, seeing their parents and choosing to cross the 'Rainbow Bridge' to join their family on the earth. Below is an example of a possible story you could tell to your child on their birthday and story details can be changed to fit your unique family. Another option is to save the lighting of the candles until after this first part of the story in the following way...
They looked in awe at this new life and said “We shall call him/her/them ____________ “ (Light the first candle) When (name of child) was 1 (tell a bit about what your child was like at 1 years old and continue each year till the year they are turning) ______ (Light the second candle) When (name of child) was 2 they, ____ (Light the third candle) When (name of child) was 3 ____ (Light the fourth candle) When (name of child) was 4 ____ (Light the fifth candle) When (name of child) was 5 ____ (Light the sixth candle) And now (name of child) is 6 ____ (Light the seventh candle) And now (name of child) is 7!! Then you can sing your traditional birthday song followed by cake and gifts and other birthday traditions your family already has or is now creating. The Birthday Book by Ann Druitt has wonderful ideas for bringing meaning in the Waldorf tradition to your child’s special day including ideas for games and activities, recipes, decorations and much more. There is no right or wrong way to create meaningful birthday celebration so make it your own and have fun! Rosh Hashanah translates to mean 'head of the year' and is the Jewish New Year. This year Rosh Hashanah begins at sunset on September 6th and is celebrated with sweet symbolic food like apples and honey. This 2 day festival marks the anniversary of human creation and the special relationship between humans and the Creator. The Jewish calendar differs from today's Gregorian calendar. The Jewish calendar is based on the cycles of the moon and this Rosh Hashanah is celebrating the year 5782. Here is a traditional Rosh Hashanah verse or song to share with your children as you enjoy a sweet snack of apples and honey. A good year A year of peace May happiness And joy increase.  Rosh Hashanah is the first night of the 'High Holidays' or the 'Days of Awe,' which last 10 days. Rosh Hashanah begins with the sounding of the shofar, an instrument made of the ram's horn. The sound of the shofar is a call to wake up and reexamine your commitment to God and to correct ways of living. Daily Wonder Home Learning honours religious and cultural diversity. We love to share about traditions from around the world and we wish our Jewish community a sweet New Year. Chag Samaech!!  Passover (Pesach in Hebrew) is a Jewish holiday that celebrates the Hebrews' liberation from slavery by the great prophet Moses. Moses would not have survived to free his people, had it not been for the cleverness of his sister Miriam. She set him in a basket on the river Nile, and watched over him until the Pharaoh's daughter found him and took him home to be her own son. In this way, Moses survived the dangerous times in Egypt, and grew up with a deep compassion for the Jewish people. In his adult years, he fulfilled his destiny to guide the Jewish people out of slavery in Egypt, to form a covenant with God through the Ten Commandments. Miriam, perhaps the only woman in the bible, who is not referred to as someone's mother or daughter, has, in more recent times, taken a place of honour at the Passover Seder. As Jewish celebrations and rituals become modernized to fit our new levels of awareness, we turn to the women of the Bible stories, choosing to elevate them to places of importance. In modern Jewish rituals, when the Seder, or religious dinner ritual takes place, many families choose to include Miriam as one of the sacred guests. A cup is filled with water, in her honour, and songs and stories are shared to celebrate her strengths. What a wonderful time we live in, where we can honour the importance of the feminine, and include it in a ritual that was formed thousands of years ago. Ways to CelebrateHere are some ways you can learn more about Miriam and celebrate her as well. Sing Miriam's Song A beautiful song depicting the spirit of women now and in ancient days. Here are the lyrics so you can sing along: And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long And Miriam was a weaver of unique variety The tapestry she wove was one which sang our history With every strand and every thread she crafted her delight A woman touched with spirit, she dances toward the light And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long When Miriam stood upon the shores and gazed across the sea he wonder of this miracle she soon came to believe Whoever thought the sea would part with an outstretched hand And we would pass to freedom and march to the promised land And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long And Miriam the prophet took her timbrel in her hand And all the women followed her just as she had planned And Miriam raised her voice in song She sang with praise and might We've just lived through a miracle We're going to dance tonight And the women dancing with their timbrels Followed Miriam as she sang her song Sing a song to the One whom we've exalted Miriam and the women danced and danced the whole night long Make Miriam's Cup Miriam’s cup honours her as a prophet in her own right and allows the opportunity to acknowledge the importance of women in general. https://creativecynchronicity.com/passover-elijah-miriam-and-kiddush-cups/
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BlogExplore schedules, rhythms & routines, songs, music, festivals, free play, meals, projects & more to support your homeschooling program.AuthorThe Wonder Squad Categories
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