Bright Water Waldorf School and Seattle Waldorf School were featured in Seattle's Child for their beloved May festivals in celebration of spring. School leaders spoke of the different meanings and intentions behind the festivals and parents shared joy about once again celebrating in community. 

Seattle Waldorf  Head of School Vanessa Kohlhaas shared the importance of seasonal festivals in the Waldorf tradition. “One of the things that’s important to Waldorf education is the annual cycle of the season,” says Seattle Waldorf Head of School Vanessa Kohlhaas. “Having festivals helps us mark the changing seasons. This one honors the changing of the darkness to light.”

Skye Chamberlain, a teacher at Bright Water Waldorf School, noted that the modern meaning of May Day, and some new intentions are also considered during this traditional festival: “May Day is, of course, also International Workers Day, a hard-won time to uphold our deepest ideals of equity, and to acknowledge all the folks whose labor makes the world go round,” says Chamberlain. “We also remind the community that we are dancing and celebrating on the traditional lands of the Duwamish people,” Chamberlain adds. “The spirit of working together in care, consciousness, and inclusion helps to carry that impulse for the whole community throughout the day.” 

Read more at Seattles Child
Photo Credit: Seattle Waldorf School