3 Dragon Activities To Celebrate Michaelmas (Recipes + Stories)
It wasn’t too long ago that I discovered Michaelmas when my son’s preschool introduced me to the festival which occurs at the beginning of Fall. I was mesmerized by the story that told of dragons and bravery and friendship. Who doesn’t love that?
We started our own Michaelmas traditions this year at home, if you’d like to start your own too. We like that it’s a story told by many different religions, and celebrated across the world. If Michaelmas isn’t your thing, these would work for a dragon-themed party too!
What is Michaelmas?
(Pronounced Mick-el-mas) Michaelmas started during the Middle Ages and began as a harvest festival. It’s typically celebrated on the 29th of September every year (this year we celebrated a bit late, but I don’t think St. Micheal minds).
This feast honors the archangel Michael, who is a figure common to Judaism, Christianity, Catholicism, and Islam. He is a symbol of good triumphing over evil, bravery, and friendship.
There are quite a few ways to celebrate Michaelmas, depending on your religious beliefs and culture. Below are 3 activities we enjoyed at home to celebrate Michaelmas.
Bake Dragon Bread (Recipe Included)
This bread tastes so decadent and it’s fun to make too!
DRAGON BREAD
2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup warm water
2 eggs
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup sugar
Dried fruit, seeds or nuts (dried cherries, apricots, raisons, sunflower seeds, or almond slivers will do)
Mix together the yeast and warm water. Let it rest. In another bowl, mix eggs, olive oil, sea salt, and sugar. Pour in yeast and water mixture and mix. Slowly add in flour while stirring. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it’s firm and smooth, then round it into a bowl coated in a little oil. Turn the ball over once to coat both sides of dough with oil. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size (3-4 hours). Now place your dough on a greased cookie sheet and shape it into a dragon. You can use scissors to cut legs, a mouth, scales, etc. Poke in nuts for teeth, or dried fruits for spikes and paws if you’d like. Sunflower seeds make great scales. Cover and let your dragon bread rise again for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes (check frequently). Serve with butter and devour!
2. Decorate Dragon Eggs
The shimmery, metallic markers really give these eggs a mystical, dragon feel. I used wood eggs because they are so pretty, easy to decorate, and can be used for years to decorate our home.
Decorative Dragon Eggs
Materials:
Metallic markers - we used these.
Washi tape in different, shimmery colors
Wooden eggs - these were perfect but you can also find them at craft stores.
How to: Set out materials and let children lead the way. I like to acknowledge what they are doing now and then, “I see the blue swirls you’re adding!” without interrupting too much. I find that the less I suggest, the more my children beam with pride over their finished work.
3. Tell The Michaelmas Story Using Small Figurines (Story Below)
My children and I have grown to love telling folk tales and fairytales using small figurines, silks, and loose parts laying around our house. It was introduced to us by a local Waldorf School, and I was touched by how sweet it was to re-enact the story told by heart (it’s not as hard to memorize stories as it sounds!).
I like to leave everything out on the table even after our story ended to invite my children to re-imagine the story again.
There are a few books you can buy to tell the Michaelmas Story. One my 7 year old enjoyed was called St. George and The Dragon. It’s definitely geared towards older children - it’s a bit wordy and the dragon is killed by St. Michael.
With my preschool aged son, I shared a shorter, sweet story about St. Michael and the dragon. The dragon lives and becomes a friend to the children. The Preschool-friendly version can be found here. It’s a cinch to re-tell, and mess-ups are part of the fun. :)
Happy Michaelmas to you and yours! How do you celebrate at home? I’d love to hear your ideas.
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