Celebrating birthdays the Waldorf-inspired way
Birthdays in Waldorf-inspired families are truly magical days. I wanted to share how our birthdays look, in case some of these traditions speak to you.
The night before
There are so many ways to bring magic and steadiness into a child’s birthday. We start the night before, turning our minds towards that very special day.
We read each child their own rainbow-bridge story: the tale of a soul looking down through the clouds, choosing to come over the rainbow bridge, rocking in a little boat and arriving in the waiting arms of their parents.
We also write a page about what they’re like at that moment, using the same ten questions each year – what’s your favourite food, what happened yesterday, who are your favourite people. Reading back through these little snapshots gets funnier every year, and it’s a lovely way to think about the journey we’ve made as a family. Many families also read a traditional birthday verse at bedtime.
The birthday morning
On the morning of their birthday, each child’s crown and place are set at the table in front of a birthday ring. When they were born I made each of them a crown, and I add a star every year. Now they’re covered! Even though my eldest thinks it’s a bit goofy to wear hers, you can see she still enjoys it – and I love that it will be part of their childhood memories. (I made one for Daddy too, and last year the children made one for me.)
We light one candle for each year, and there’s a little object for each year too: a tiny house the year we moved, a bee the year my youngest was stung, a whale the year my eldest was obsessed with them. The birthday ring becomes a beautiful record of their journey – add one special item every year: handmade, collected, found or bought, each representing a year on this earth.
At school
I love that in Steiner Waldorf schools birthdays are valued and noticed too. In the early years, children often wear a special birthday crown and cape, sometimes special slippers or a throne – and there’s always cake!
There are so many lovely birthday traditions out there. Find the ones that speak to you or build new ones for your family.
