Our school celebrates the Michaelmas Festival every year, along with several other festivals of saints.
For the Class 1 to 3 students, the festivity begins with the story of St. Michael the Archangel, and how he slays the dragon that not only stood for evil but also symbolized the various obstacles and challenges that face humanity.
Then the students go through an obstacle course, filled with little challenges along the way. The Class 7 students are the ones who design and build the obstacle course, remembering also what they went through during the lower years.
There is another bigger and more complicated obstacle course for the students in Class 4-6, this time built by the Class 8 students. The meaning of the festival is thus reinforced as each child goes through a maze of opportunities, challenges, physical activity and quick decision-making.
At the end of the day, once all the students have gone through the course, everyone partakes of a little gathering with snacks and refreshements.
For the Upper School students, Michaelmas is usually punctuated by an afternoon of class presentations that showcase each student’s talents and skills. The whole community converges at the school grounds to be part of this celebration, keeping ties closer together as we continue to strive for the goals and vision that the Manila Waldorf School has committed to.
This year’s Michaelmas celebration will happen on Friday, October 8, 2010, beginning at 5:30 pm at the Timberland Campus. A potluck dinner will follow right after the performances.
****
Here is how Michaelmas is defined by Wikipedia:
Michaelmas, the feast of Saint Michael the Archangel (also the Feast of SS Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael or the Feast of Michael and All Angels) is a day in the Western Christian calendar which occurs on 29 September. Because it falls near the equinox, it is associated in the northern hemisphere with the beginning of autumn and the shortening of days. Michael is the greatest of all the archangels and is honored for his defeat of Lucifer in the battle for the heavens in the Bible.[1]
The archangel Michael is one of the principal angelic warriors, seen as a protector against the dark of night, and the administrator of cosmic intelligence. Michaelmas has also delineated time and seasons for secular purposes as well, particularly in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
The Eastern Orthodox Churches do not observe Michaelmas. The Greek Orthodox honor the archangels on 8 November instead.
If you want a deeper understanding of Michaelmas and how it relates to your child, you are invited to attend a talk by Raph Lazo on Saturday, the 9th of October, at the MWS kindergarten campus 1497 E. Rodriguez St. Quezon City at 3pm.
Everything Waldorf 