Every November, the lantern walk was a tradition I looked forward to with my children at our Waldorf school. They would make beautiful lanterns in class, sometimes out of colorful paper or tin cans, sometimes out of jars and leaves, and we would all bundle up and meet on Martinmas to walk through the dark night singing cheery lantern songs. We did a couple of our own lantern walks at home when they got a little older and were no longer doing the lantern walks in class, making our own beautiful lanterns at the kitchen table, and enjoying delicious hot cider and baked treats when we came back inside from the cold. It’s been quite a few years now since I went on a lantern walk, but at the beginning of November, I still start lighting candles to brighten up the lengthening darkness in the evenings. My newest wall hanging is inspired by these lantern walks, with a group of children out on a chilly evening, driving off the darkness with their bright, shining lantern lights.
You can find it in my Esty shop here:
And here are a couple of past lantern walks I wrote about with the history of Martinmas and a few favorite lantern songs:
Now I’m singing “I go with my little lantern. My lantern goes with me….” Thanks for the nostalgia.
I’m so happy to hear that! Those lantern songs are good for the soul.