An Invitation to Michaelmas: Welcoming Courage, Strength, and Inner Light
Welcome to one of our most cherished seasonal traditions! At the Waldorf School of Atlanta, Michaelmas is celebrated annually as the autumn equinox approaches and the days begin to shorten . Originally a medieval harvest festival, Michaelmas serves as a meaningful checkpoint for our community to turn inward and gather inner strength as the seasons shift from the warmth and light of summer to the cold and darkness of winter .
Through the rich, imaginative imagery of Saint Michael and the dragon, our students learn to meet life’s inevitable challenges with a brave heart, noble purpose, and a sense of shared community . We celebrate this festival in unique, age-appropriate ways across the school .
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In our Early Childhood classrooms, Michaelmas is not just a single day, but a gentle season of industrious work and comforting rhythms . Through seasonal stories, songs, and verses, the children experience tales of people working hard—using physical strength to harvest crops, forge metal, and bake bread . These stories help our youngest students find the inner courage to tame their own "dragons" while learning to help others .
A highlight of this season is the dyeing of golden-yellow silks . The children gather gifts of the earth—such as marigolds and onion skins—to create a warm, natural dye bath . This bath transforms white silks and wool fleece into brilliant rays of sunshine . Carrying these golden silks home serves as a physical reminder of the warmth and light they will hold in their hearts throughout the chilly winter months .
Note: Because our younger students do not yet live into the deeper academic and athletic themes of the grade school festival, they celebrate in their own cozy classrooms . Early Childhood teachers suggest that these young children do not attend the Grades pageant, allowing them to preserve a quiet, restful afternoon and giving them something to look forward to in future years . Warm classroom stories and the silk-dyeing tradition provide the perfect, age-appropriate introduction to Michaelmas .
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For our grade school students, Michaelmas culminates in a grand outdoor festival and pageantry filled with courage and community spirit . Parents, families, and friends are warmly invited to join the Grades 1–8 community on the Michaelmas Field on Inman Drive to share in the celebration .
The festival features:
Community Singing: Lift your voice alongside our students as we sing traditional Michaelmas songs together .
The Pageant: Watch our Grades 1–8 students bring the Michaelmas story to life in a lively and dramatic outdoor performance .
The Dragon Chase: Experience the thrill of the legendary dragon chase, a beloved symbol of overcoming fear with courage .
An Afternoon of Games: Following the 30-minute community pageant, students share a picnic lunch and spend the afternoon playing cooperative games with their teachers .
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Waldorf festivals are designed to nourish the entire family. To help parents connect with the deeper philosophical underpinnings of these traditions, we offer dedicated parent education gatherings leading up to the festival:
Roots & Rhythms: Led by our Pedagogical Director Abby Wright, this evening and morning workshop series explores the foundations of Waldorf education, the flow of the school year, and how "Head, Heart, and Hands" come together in our celebrations .
Parents are invited to gather in Hazelwood Hall to discuss the rhythms of festival life, explore how the forces of nature support us during this seasonal transition, and ask questions .
What Families Need to Know:
What to Bring: Please bring water bottles, blankets, and outdoor chairs .
Parking & Accessibility: To keep our neighborhood safe and ensure the road is clear for transporting festival gear, we ask that all families park in the main WSA parking lot and walk to the field . Street parking on Inman Drive is strictly reserved for those with mobility needs .