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  |||  As the darkness of fall and winter approaches, Berkeley Rose Waldorf School has been illuminating the dark with our light. Our school is celebrating the changing seasons with a variety of festivals and traditions.
One such celebration is Diwali – the festival of light. Largely honored in India, observed by many including Hindus and Sikhs, it symbolizes the spiritual victory of good over evil. In preparation, our students cleaned the school on Tuesday, made colorful decorations, including chalk mandalas (which you might have noticed outside) and delighted in traditional treats. We are grateful to many of our parents who helped with this celebration and were able to provide the stories and legends to share from their own cultures.
Earlier this week, our early childhood and lower grades families spent a reverent evening welcoming the changing season with a Lantern Walk. This annual event is much-loved, as much by our parents as the children! The students, teachers and parents spent weeks in preparation: making lanterns, learning songs and hearing stories about the arrival of winter. During the Lantern Walk, parents, children, friends and faculty gather at Codornices Park, just as the sun is setting. As dusk falls, everyone sets off together on a quiet journey through the park, quietly and reverently singing, with their lanterns lighting the way.
Later next month, the Upper Graders (6th, 7th & 8th grades) will celebrate the changing seasons with a Festival of Light, which takes place about one week before the winter break. In an atmosphere of grace and appreciation our students, their families and teachers will gather for an evening of song, contemplation and discourse. At the end, a single candle is lit and all who are gathered light their own candle from this one flame. Uniting the group and surrounding themselves with light. A truly inspiring way to welcome winter and the accompanying holiday season.