The Four Lights of Advent: Weaving Waldorf Traditions into our Holiday Season
As the days grow shorter and darker here in New England, I appreciate traditions that bring warmth and light into our home. I’ve fallen in love with the magic that the Waldorf philosophy offers. Waldorf traditions can be woven into any home, whether religious, spiritual, or secular— these Advent traditions center on connecting with and sharing our inner light. My hope for this season is to focus on connection, moments of joy, and nurturing my daughter’s sense of wonder, gratitude, and generosity.
During the Advent season, we’ll be exploring this verse by Rudolf Steiner:
🌟 The Four Lights of Advent 🌟
The first light of Advent is the light of stones—
The light that shines in crystals, in seashells, and in bones.
The second light of Advent is the light of plants—
Green plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.
The third light of Advent is the light of beasts—
That shines in all creatures, in greatest and in least.
The fourth light of Advent is the human light—
The light of hope and of thought, to know and do what’s right.
When I talk about this verse with my daughter, I teach that all of these kingdoms: minerals, plants, animals, and humankind, are interconnected, equally important, and that we all have our own unique gifts to share.
In Waldorf schools, Advent is often celebrated with a spiral walk, symbolizing carrying and sharing our light in the darkness, the cycle of renewal, and our journeys to find our own inner light. We won’t be doing a spiral walk this year, but we’ll bring the symbolism of the spiral into our home by creating a salt-dough Advent spiral for our seasonal table.
For the past couple of years, we’ve enjoyed reading one line of the Four Lights of Advent verse each Sunday of the season, lighting a candle, and decorating our seasonal table to honor the kingdom highlighted in that week’s verse.
This year, we’re keeping that tradition while adding something new: themed activities for each week, which I’ll be weaving into our Advent calendar.
Instead of daily trinkets or candies, this year our calendar will hold simple activity cards for each day, and just one small gift each week.
The first year I made an Advent calendar, my daughter was two, and I tucked a small gift into each pocket. I quickly learned that a daily gift, even a tiny one, was too overwhelming! For the past two years, we’ve done more activities than gifts in our Advent calendar, which has been so much better for all of us.
In this series, I’ll be sharing simple, meaningful activities to embrace the magic of the season and connect with the Four Lights of Advent Verse.
Below you’ll find links to each week of themed activities:
Week One: Minerals
Week Two: Plants
Week Three: Animals
Week Three: Humankind (Coming Soon)
I’d love to hear about your holiday season traditions in the comments!