Celebrating the Winter Solstice
Here is a story of how Alena's 2/3 class learned about the cycle of the seasons and marked the solstice, bringing to life the Ontario curriculum expectations from Social Studies (Traditions and Celebration Unit), Arts, and Phys Ed.
The class prepared for their spiral walk by working with lanterns, apples, branches and candles:
Red apples are often used as candle holders during spiral walks and celebrations. Inside the fruit lies the seed, waiting patiently in darkness until the time comes to sprout. The apples represent the seeds of our hidden potential - within each of our young people is the seed of the adults they will become.
Beeswax candles are considered a symbol of eternal love and warmth. We use them as our light source in the darkness to symbolize that love is always present.
Evergreen Trees are found in many myths, often representing the tree of life. These are the trees that weather the winter without going dormant. They represent the regenerative power of life, nature and the seasons. We use evergreen boughs to represent the sustaining abundance of life on our planet.
Students set up the centre and created a beautiful green spiral:
The Spiral Walk is a festival that is practiced on or near the winter solstice. The tradition honors the seasonal cycle of light and darkness by arranging a simple spiral labyrinth walk. The spiral image can be found in all cultures, ranging from primitive art to 21st century advertising. The spiral is often associated with the cycle of rebirth, time and seasons and sometimes a spiritual journey.
The spiral is one of nature’s many patterns and can be found in shells, flowers, pinecones, fingertips, and galaxies. In this festival honoring the return of light into the world, we use the spiral to represent the seasonal rhythms as well as representing the contemplative journey we take to find our own inner “light.”
The physical form of the spiral represents the marking of the seasons. The beginning of the path marks the summer solstice. As we spiral inward through the labyrinth, it represents moving towards and through autumn, where the days grow shorter. The very center of the spiral symbolizes winter solstice: the darkest time of the year. Here we pause at the center before we spiral back outward through spring toward the summer solstice. See What the winter solstice means in the Cree tradition.
Each student walked the spiral and placed an apple-candle-holder on it. The class sang and celebrated the coming of winter.
Date posted: 2020
Tags: Arts and music, confidence, experiential learning, Integrated curriculum, Outdoor learning and play
