A variety of festivals are celebrated throughout the year at The London Acorn School.
Seasonal festivals, such as Michaelmas Festival and The May Day Festival, serve to connect us with the cyclical rhythms of the year, fostering a natural reverence for the wonder and beauty of life and nature.
Children of any ethnic or religious background are welcome at our school, and we respect the individual beliefs of families. We celebrate a range of religious festivals, connected to our studies in Main Lesson and Humanities. From Christian festivals, such as Christmas and Easter, to Jewish, Hindu, Islamic, Sikh and Buddhist festivals throughout the year, we strive to celebrate what is universal.
The children are actively involved in the preparation for each celebration through activities, songs and stories. Furthermore, festivals are a wonderful opportunity for not only the whole school to come together, but the wider community of parents as well.
Here is an example of just some of the festivals we celebrate throughout the year. Many more are celebrated through assemblies, class plays, and a variety of events.
Festivals | Time of year | Celebration |
---|---|---|
Harvest Festival | Early Autumn | A celebration of harvest. Giving thanks to summer and its bounty, and finding inner strength as the days begin to noticeably shorten. |
Martinmas | Late Autumn | A Lantern Walk celebrating the transition from the end of harvest to the beginning of winter, reminding us to hold onto warmth and light within us, during dark, cold days ahead. |
Advent Spiral | Advent | A celebration of wonder and anticipation as a candlelit procession brings light to a darkened room, until the room is aglow. |
Lunar New Year | New Year | Celebrating the refreshing start to a new year, leaving behind darkness and negativity and readying ourselves for new life. |
Imbolc | Early February | The melting of winter and the promise of spring. |
Shrove Tuesday | Easter | A celebration of giving thanks before, traditionally, the fasting of Lent. |
May Day | Early May | A celebration of spring and inner growth. |
Midsummer | Late June | Celebrating the heat, life and colour of summer’s long days. |