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Festivals.

What families see and do together at our seasonal festivals.

Festivals

Mayfest (May)

Mayfest welcomes spring at the East Montpelier campus in early May. The day opens with a dispute between King Winter and Lady Spring. The Grades perform special dances around the maypole. Families join in activities together, and the wider community is invited to visit the school and share the day.

Michaelmas/HARvest festival (October)

Michaelmas dates back to the sixth century and falls near the autumnal equinox. Waldorf schools mark it as a harvest festival, with legends of St. Michael facing a dragon standing for courage and balance. Our day includes a community pageant, singing, games, challenges, seasonal crafts, apple picking and pressing, and a picnic lunch.

Lantern Walk (November)

The Lantern Walk comes from the French legend of Saint Martin of Tours, a soldier who cut his cloak in half for a freezing beggar. As days grow shorter, children once walked the streets with lanterns, singing. Our walk is short and quiet. Early Education and Grades 1 and 2 carry their lights through the dark.

Winter Spiral (December)

The Winter Spiral is a simple festival of lights from rural Bavarian folk culture. Children walk a spiral path of fir boughs and moss in darkness toward a central light, carrying apples with candles in their cores. They light a candle at the center and set the apple along the spiral on the way out, adding light for the next child.

What this looks like in practice

Across the year, children practice for the maypole and the pageant during class time. On the day, they wear what the teacher asks, carry a lantern or apple, and walk with their class. Parents gather to watch, then join the crafts, games, and shared meal. Ask your child's teacher what to bring and when to arrive.

The rhythm of festivals gives children something to count on as the seasons turn. After Michaelmas, a child may talk at home about apples and pressing. After the Lantern Walk, they may ask for a lantern of their own. These days mark time in a way children can hold onto. Ask us for the yearly calendar.

Five children sit and lie near a small campfire beside a rocky stream, holding sticks with food over the flames.

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