Why We Celebrate Michaelmas and the Harvest at Waldorf

Michaelmas: A Living Picture of Courage

Watch Ms. Lee’s Gr. 1 chalk rendering

Michaelmas, part of Waldorf’s cycle of seasonal festivals, carries deep symbolic meaning that connects the rhythms of nature with human development. Falling near the autumn equinox, when days shorten and nights grow longer, it marks a turning point: nature begins its retreat, and we are called to summon inner strength to meet the darker months ahead.

Archangel Michael—depicted conquering a dragon with sword or spear—symbolizes the courage, truth, and inner light needed to overcome the “dragons” within us: fear, doubt, laziness, or selfishness. In Waldorf schools, Michaelmas is often called the Festival of Courage, inviting children and the whole community to strengthen their will, face challenges with bravery, and take responsibility for their actions.

Through plays, songs, games of strength, and symbolic stories, students experience this seasonal shift not only outwardly in nature, but inwardly in themselves.

The Harvest Connection

Michaelmas is closely tied to the harvest, weaving gratitude, courage, and community into one celebration. Autumn is a time of reckoning: the fields are full, fruits and grains are gathered, and the question arises—did the harvest yield enough to last us through the winter?

In farming cultures, this was both a practical and spiritual moment: a time to give thanks for the earth’s abundance, and to gather the courage to endure the cold, dark season ahead.

At Waldorf schools, this connection is made tangible. Children plant, tend, and harvest gardens, bake bread, pick apples, save seeds, and share food with the community. These hands-on experiences root them in the cycles of the earth while cultivating reverence, responsibility, and gratitude.

Community and Growth

Just as a farm’s survival depends on cooperation, so too does a school community. Harvest festivals bring families together to share food, music, and work, echoing ancient traditions of communal harvest celebrations.

For children, the cycle of sowing, tending, and reaping mirrors inner growth. It teaches patience, resilience, and the will to meet life’s challenges.

In Essence

The Waldorf connection to Michaelmas and the harvest is both practical—through gardening, biodynamics, and seasonal work—and spiritual—honouring humanity’s place within the cycles of nature and the cosmos. Together, they form a living celebration of gratitude, courage, and community.