Lantern Walk

We arrived at our children’s Waldorf school in the evening and walked down the dark hallway to their classroom where a soft glow was spilling out of the door. Inside sat their teacher playing softly on a small harp and singing a lantern walk song. All of the candle lanterns they had made from jars covered in tissue paper and dried leaves were sitting on their desks with cheerful little flames flickering inside. They sat in a circle singing their lantern walk song and then we made a procession outside along a path lit by tin can luminaries down to the lower field. There we joined the first grade, second grade, and kindergarten students for some storytelling and performances lit by more tin can lanterns hanging from the tree branches above. All the children held lanterns of all sorts. One class had folded paper origami lanterns, one had round watercolor paper lanterns with soft colors and shapes cut out. One class had thin round tissue paper-mache balls with leaves inside that appeared to be formed over balloons like a pinata. These were hanging from the end of a stick on a string, swinging merrily in front of the kids as they walked. After the performances we gathered for hot cider and treats around a campfire. It was a truly magical evening.

This is the celebration of Martinmas. It is a Waldorf tradition for families to carry lanterns under starry November skies in celebration of Saint Martin of Tours, who is known for his good deeds, including sharing his cloak on a cold night with a humble beggar. As we move toward the winter months, and the days grow shorter, festivals of light are celebrated all around the world to remind us to keep our inner light shining through the darkness.

Here is our class lantern walk song:

WILD GEESE