Last week we celebrated Children’s Day at Dechen Chöling. Children’s Day in the Shambhala Tradition is a celebration of the Winter Solstice which marks the shortest day of the year – from this point on the days will become longer and lighter and the nights shorter. At this time of year we appreciate and celebrate family and children, light and warmth.
Here at Dechen Chöling we marked the occasion by inviting local families and children to join us in celebration and welcomed about thirty guests. The afternoon began with a lhasang and then children joined workshops to make and decorate cookies and to create their lanterns. The château became a lively, colourful hub of creativity and enjoyment.
Later in the day, everyone gathered in the festively decorated Marpa Room to share seasonal songs together and children took part in the ‘Spiral of Light’ ceremony as everyone sang.
The day ended outside with children toasting marshmallows on a bonfire and drinking hot chocolate, then families left with bags of cookies and their homemade lanterns.
Children’s Day this year was a wonderful event and a great opportunity to connect with families from our wider community. We’d like to thank everyone who came and joined the celebrations and made it a day to remember.