Spring Festival – Lunar New Year

Spring Festival begins with the first day of the first month of the lunar calendar and traditionally ends on the 15th day of the month. This is one of the important festivals celebrated among the Chinese community.

Traditionally celebrated in China, the Spring Festival takes place during the time that the northern hemisphere starts its gradual warming, having already passed the coldest part of the winter.

This is a time for family reunion and happiness; welcoming health and prosperity for the coming year; bringing about reconciliation and ushering in harmony and good fortune. There is always joy and anticipation in the air as we bake lunar new year goodies, perform dragon dance, and come together as a community for a festive feast.

Easter Festival

Easter is celebrated on the first Sunday after the first full moon in spring.

This is a time when the days start to lengthen and the sun regains its warmth and power.

Thus, the Easter festival is a cause for great celebration - where nature has reawakened; where trees and flowers start to grow and bloom. It is also a time to remember the resurrection of Christ for the Christian community.

In WLCH, we celebrate Easter as a spring festival and the renewal of life, the celebration of hope, by painting eggs and sowing seeds for the new year.

Hari Raya Puasa

Hari Raya Puasa, or the festival of Eid, marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, and the start of a new month on the Islamic calendar, Syawal.

Hari Raya Puasa is a celebration of victory in completing the fast and the overcoming of personal struggles during the Ramadan. This is a time of forgiveness and strengthening of bonds amongst family members and relatives.

The sighting of a new crescent moon marks the start of Ramadan, a time for piety and self-reflection.

We celebrate this beautiful and meaningful festival with our children via puppetry storytelling and craft making.

Mid-Autumn Festival

The Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as the Mooncake Festival or Lantern Festival, is celebrated on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month. This festival takes place at the same time as the Harvest Moon, or the full moon that occurs closest to the autumnal equinox (beginning of fall) each year. This is a time where days become shorter than nights as the sun continues to rise later and nightfall arrives earlier.

The festival dates back over 1,000 years, when ancient Chinese people counted the days by the phases of the moon. They found out that the moon would be at its fullest in the middle of every lunar month and at its brightest in the middle of autumn. The date of the festival was thus decided.

Children experience the festive mood through lantern making and mooncake.

This is celebrated as an evening community event with puppetry storytelling and lantern procession.

Deepavali – The Festival of Lights

For Hindus around the world, the celebration of Deepavali revolves around the triumph of good over evil, purity over impurity, light over darkness. It is one of the most important Hindu festivals.

The Festival of Lights takes place on the darkest night (first night of the new moon) in the month of Kartik in the Hindu calendar.

This is the time of the year where we move toward the darkness of the night as it gets longer than day light. As we celebrate this festival, it cultivates our inner light to bring us through our life journey.

Spiral of Light

The Spiral of Light is celebrated in many Waldorf schools around the world. The theme is non-sectarian and embraces all beliefs. We honour the light that each of us brings to the world, particularly when we share that light with others. We especially need this as the days grow shorter and the light wanes earlier and earlier each day.

This is an evening ceremony that is celebrated on the last day of the final term. It is conducted in a mood of gratitude and reverence, where everyone remains peaceful and silent as each person walks, one by one, from the beginning of the spiral into the center and lights their candle from the central flame, then turns and walks back, setting their candle down on a golden star along the way.

We leave the room silently to bask in the inner image of the glowing spiral and keeping the beautiful mood of peace within us as we return home.

* Applicable to Starlight Class (3.5-6 years old)

Birthdays

Each child’s birthday, similar to festivals, are celebrated once a year and it helps the child to mark the passing of a year. In Waldorf Steiner pedagogy, 0 to 7 years old is the time when children learn to be ‘master of their own physical body’. Hence, each year is an opportunity to celebrate the accomplishments the child has made. We celebrate this special day for the child with respect and reverence. It also honours the child’s place in our lives and in this world. 

One of the main elements in the celebration is that a special birthday story unique to each child will be narrated by the teacher.

Graduation

Graduation symbolises the important transition for the graduating children as they move on to the next phase of their life.

This is a beautiful and meaningful ceremony as we celebrate and honour the children and their time with us, remembering their hard work, growth and transformation.

It gives these children a sense of completion as they have come to an end of their early childhood education. It also offers them strength and courage to move on in their new journey.

* Applicable to Starlight Class (3.5-6 years old)