Glimmer Lantern Glimmer.

There is something about this time of year, the dying year, the fading, that compels us to hold onto, to celebrate, light.

Last week in school the children celebrated the Hindu festival of light, Diwali. ( Another year they celebrated the Swedish festival of St. Lucia in December). The whole school spent the week doing lots of lovely little projects on the subject and then on Friday there was a gathering in the hall where they got to try Indian food and they all received red bindi paste on their forehead. My Only Girl, and some of her friends brought in saris and were shown how to wear them.

And then, on Tuesday we celebrated the festival of St. Martin or Martinmas with some friends.

St. Martin is the patron saint of beggars, drunkards and outcasts! The tale told is that he gave half his cloak to a beggar and then had a dream where he saw Christ wearing his cloak. And so he devoted himself to all mankind no matter what their station in life.

The 11th of November has become a festival of light particularly in France, though I first came across it through the Steiner/Waldorf tradition.

These flash photos do no justice to our lantern-lit walk in the woods! The children each had a candle-lit lantern and we crept through the dark, dark woods, making our way tentatively, stealthily, through the overhang, over tree-roots, avoiding a tumble into the merrily splashing river that ran alongside us!

A delicious shared dinner with friends followed. Warmth and light. Warmth and light.

Warmth and light. 

A blessing of warmth and light for the coming months on you all!