Winter Spiral
Younger students participate in walking a pine bough spiral path to light a candle. This quiet and simple, yet powerful experience of gradually bringing light into darkness is a memorable one and a favorite of students and parents alike.
The days are short, the nights are long and this Winter festival helps remind humankind of our ability to bring our own light into darker times… The Winter Spiral takes place in the first week of December. A spiral of greenery is laid out on the floor of a quiet, darkened room and filled with items representing three kingdoms: plant, mineral, and animal (man being the fourth). At the center a lit candle is placed, and each child is given a turn to make his or her way through the spiral to the center, carrying an unlit candle they have made in preparation for this day. When the center candle is reached the children light their own candle off of the central candle and then place it somewhere along the spiral as they make their way back out. As the children place their candle along the path the light in the room slowly grows. It is a quiet and moving experience, both to participate in and to watch…