At school, our everyday life is accompanied, structured and coloured by a variety of festive periods or "holidays": our Christian holidays, national holidays, school holidays and the holidays of a class. There are also occasions open to parents and others when students and their teachers celebrate together.

Part of our celebrations are about our encounters. One such occasion is the opening of the year, known in every school, when we meet for the first time after the summer holidays. But it's also the Monday morning "welcome together" every week, where parents are welcome to join us. Such celebratory gatherings also take place every school day: at the beginning and end of the day, the teacher greets his/her students with a handshake; and for grades 1-8, it is a "celebratory occasion" as the class community "comes together" in body and soul to say the morning "saying".

A typical community event in Waldorf schools is the monthly or 2-3 monthly "celebrations of the month", where classes give a short presentation to parents and other classes about what they are doing during the period.

Special holidays in our school:

School opening ceremony

First-year pupils "arrive" at school through the flower gate. Parents accompany their children by hand to the gate. At the end of the flower gate, their class teacher is waiting for them and calls out their names out loud, one by one.

29 September: St Michael's Day

Most paintings depict Saint Michael in armour, sword in hand, as he was the one who drove the rebel angelic hosts, led by Lucifer, out of the kingdom of heaven. We put on some kind of armour when we enter school on the first Monday in September. The armour is heavy, perhaps uncomfortable; you certainly can't move as freely in it as you can in a bathing suit - but it does protect the wearer. It can feel like armour for getting up early every morning, going to school even when the sun is shining outside, keeping school things tidy, doing homework and so on. But it is this "armour" that allows children to develop healthy habits and lifestyles. For school life - and life in general - we need perseverance and courage. St Michael fought the dragon; in his life on earth, man can fight the dragon of laziness or fear. The feast of St Michael is therefore a test of courage.

But St Michael is not just a "warrior" saint. In his depictions he often holds a balance in his hand. On this scale he measures the good and bad deeds of human souls. The scales also play an important part in the celebrations: children's good deeds are usually represented by tiny snow-white pebbles, which are placed in one of the scales' pans.

On 28 September, each class will take part in separate excursions, tests and tests of courage. Then, on Monday morning, the children will put their little white pebbles on the scales in a joint celebration.

11 November - Saint Martin's Day

The days are very short during this period. In the darkness of the world outside, all that has become and still wants to become one's inner light shines like tiny lanterns. This period before the advent of the new year gives us a chance to take one last look, to turn towards our fellow human beings, to experience the heart-warming mystery of giving and receiving. At child level, we help them to experience this in two ways. On the one hand, by making lanterns decorated with suns, moons and stars, which are then included in the songs that are sung. In this way, we represent the celestial forces that want to act on Earth through the human spirit. The mediating power of our inner force, our "spiritual light", is also symbolised by their excursion through the dark forest with small lanterns.

Another important message of the holiday is that if we try to be better than we are, everything around us will be better. This betterment is easy to start and can be made a daily practice by reaching out to our fellow human beings. Each person can recognise this in his or her own life and decide on the number and direction of his or her daily good deeds. You can help a close friend, a distant friend, a stranger or a group of people. This help may be material, or a prayer for someone, a silence created at the right time, a hurt repressed in time.

The St. Martin's Day Bazaar offers interesting performances, colourful programmes and a wide range of fair offerings, as well as the opportunity to spend time with children and their teachers to build community.

6 December: St Nicholas Day

A "sky envoy" visits classes in lower and middle school, and usually in grade 12.
St Nicholas visits our school every year. Saint Nicholas seeks purification in hearts and gathers goodness and love here on earth to take with him to heaven to Mary, who will weave a cloak for the cold little Jesus. Her message helps to strengthen the moral self of our children, while at the same time promising the thrill of the mystery of holiness in human form.
Nicholas brings a gift for each child, a golden nut and a sack with a honeycomb, seeds and fruit. He also visits the lower classes in person, while the older ones only know they have been visited by St Nicholas from the sack left outside the classroom door.

December: Advent garden, "Advent spiral"

Advent is a time of waiting, a time of inner quiet. The Advent garden is the final chord of the holiday in school. In one room, pine branches are arranged in a spiral on the floor. A candle is placed in the centre of the spiral, and the children walk in one by one to its flame, accompanied by the singing of those around them. They blow out their own little light: holding the candle in their hand in an apple, they hold it up to the central candle and place it on the gold stars placed along the spiral line on their way out. As more and more people walk along the path, more and more flames flare in the room, symbolising the birth of Light and its power over darkness.

Last day of school in December

Christmas Play and Paradise Play - performed by teachers, sometimes parents and older students for all students and parents.

February: carnival

Students dress up in costumes according to different themes for each year group, and the celebrations include fun performances and a dance party. The Parents' Carnival is held the following Saturday evening.

Last day of school: farewell of class 8

The first-year parents' community prepares the students' flower gates and wreaths for the celebration. Students from the other classes will hold a flower in their hands and lead them on a flower walk to the rose gate.

End of the year

Certificate distribution to all classes; "St John's Day" needle pulling for grades 1-8
We close the year on the longest day of the year. After a short farewell in the courtyard, the classes go to their classrooms for the report card ceremony, followed by our St John's Day celebrations in the courtyard. It is the responsibility of the parents of each second class to ensure that there is enough to eat. Two other activities will add colour to the evening: a St. John's Day fire-pulling, accompanied by folk dancing and singing. According to popular belief, the one who jumps over the fire of St. John remains healthy and lucky all year round. Meanwhile, in the courtyard, the 8th grade is having a banquet to say goodbye to their class teacher.