Holidays and festivals are rich with meaning and purpose, lending themselves easily as a time and space of tradition and ritual. In honor of this holiday season and the diversity of families we have at Rose Rock, we will take the next several weeks to feature some of their traditions and rituals. These may be traditions of long ago, cherished and kept since childhood, or they may be freshly created for our own children. They may be centered in one festival or holiday, or they may be simple rituals that uplift our daily lives during this time of year. All of them are special ways we create our family cultures. We invite you to relish in them as we do and be inspired to begin your own.
In the Catholic church (and related denominations), Advent is a reverent four week preparation for the coming of the Christ child on Christmas Day. For adults, the time may be spent solemnly with inner work that prepares space for the Christ child in one’s heart. For children it is hard to consider it a solemn time, especially if you delight in anticipation itself as I do. As a child, I was delighted by it, and nurtured by several beautiful rituals that my family participated in each year through Advent and Christmas time.
One of my favorite traditions was our ritual surrounding the Advent wreath: four candles set around an evergreen-decorated wreath, each representing a theme such as hope or peace. Each Sunday, we gathered around the wreath before bedtime, to light the candle(s) and read a prayer or a story from the bible. We also sang Christmas carols, as we were often singing in my childhood home. I remember vividly the layers of anticipation- of coming together to sing; of when I would be old enough to light a candle, then for when it was my turn within the four weeks; of when we would read the story I loved best, and when we would finally make it through all the candles to Christmas Day. Other details of the ritual have faded, but the space of holiness it created has not.
Many years and spiritual twists and turns later, I reclaimed this tradition with my own children in the Advent Spiral. Similar to the evergreen spiral we walk at Rose Rock during our Festival of Light, this one sits on our table top. It is adorned weekly with elements of the four kingdoms, all awaiting the birth of the Sun/Son. Each morning we sing as we move our star candle towards the center, each evening we say a little verse and light candles to read by. We have two books we alternate reading each year- Mary’s Little Donkey, and the Light in the Lantern, both offering sweet stories of how the world prepared for the coming of the Christ child.
Our family is not heavy in religion or explicit spiritual practice, but the festivals are an anchor for our inner paths. In bringing the Advent season (and other traditions) to our children, my hope is to cultivate a reverence for life and Spirit that grows into a rich inner life of whatever shape that fits their own paths.
Written by Acacia Moore, wife to Erik Moore, mom to Everett, Kellan, and Quinn.