Jul 30
The Festival of Lughnasadh (aka Lammas)
Posted by Antonia at 2:09 pm in Holidays

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Although in the heat of a Mid-Western Summer it might be difficult to discern, the festival of Lughnasadh (LOO-nas-ah) or (LOO-na-suh)/Lammas on August 1st marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Fall, a shift from growing time to harvest time. The subtle changes of the waning sun that occurred at Summer Solstice become more evident as the balance of day and night seem to shift more dramatically. The slight seasonal changes in weather, and the declining arc of the Sun, the southern movement of its rising and setting are other indicators of this shift. It is the point in time when the first grains are collected and ritualistically sacrificed to ensure the continuance of the cycle of life both physically and spiritually.

The Celtic “Grain Festival”, known traditionally as Lughnasadh (Old Irish), Lá Lúnasawas (Modern Irish), which has had many more names over the years, honours the Irish Sun-God Lugh (pronounced Loo), “The God of Light”, “God of All Skills”, the “Bright or Shining One”. Lughnasadh marked the beginning of the harvest season, the ripening of first fruits, and was traditionally a time of community gatherings, market festivals, horse races and reunions with distant family and friends. Among the Irish it was a favored time for handfastings which were rather informal, or trial marriages that would generally last a year and a day, with the option of terminating the agreement before the new year. At the time, the couple could decide to continue the arrangement if it pleased them, or to stand back to back and walk away from one another, thus bringing the marriage to a formal close. Such trial marriages were quite common even into the 1500’s, although it was something one ‘didn’t bother the parish priest about’. Indeed, such ceremonies were usually solemnized by a poet, bard, or shanachie (Irish history-keeper/storytellers).

Although at first glance it may seem that we are celebrating the death of Lugh, ‘The God of Light’ does not really die (mythically) until the autumnal equinox, and we know he will be there for the birth of his child, as the Goddess is with child. And indeed, if we read the Irish myths closer, we discover that it is not Lugh’s death that is being celebrated, but the funeral games and feast which Lugh hosted to commemorate the death of his foster-mother, Taillte, the Goddess of agriculture who died while clearing the Irish forests in preparation for planting. That is why the Lugnasadh celebrations in Ireland are often called the ‘Tailltean Games’.

A depiction of Taillte
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Lughnasadh is more popularly referred to as Lammas in many areas of the British Isles. Lammas probably comes from the Middle English Lammasse, and from Old English, half-mass. During medieval times, loaves were baked from the first grains of the harvest and blessed in a church ceremony known as the “loaf mass,” from which the term “lammas” is likely derived. This was the day on which loaves of bread were baked from the first grain harvest and laid on the church altars as offerings. Others attribute “Lammas” to a combined form of “lamb” and “Mass” which reflects a time when lambs were offered as a tribute to feudal lords. It also became a feast that the Church celebrated in commemoration of Saint Peter’s deliverance from prison. Lammas was also the traditional time of year for craft festivals. The medieval guilds would create elaborate displays of their wares, decorating their shops and themselves in bright colors and ribbons, marching in parades, and performing strange, ceremonial plays and dances for the entranced onlookers. The atmosphere must have been quite similar to our modern-day Renaissance festivals. How fun! :D

Lammas is currently one of the four major pagan festivals originally celebrated in Britain and now celebrated in other countries, including the United States. Lughnasadh/Lammas is a time of personal reflection and harvest, of our actions and deeds, events and experiences, our gains and losses. A time when we begin the cycle of reflection of that which is our life. A period for personal creational power used to ensure the bountiful harvest of life’s gifts and experiences, that which we have reaped through trial, tribulation, enjoyment, joy, love and loss. As it is said, “We can not know what we have not experienced.” Such is the truth of life, we become not by chance but by experience. Each experience opens a window into ourselves, into who we were, who we are, and whom we are choosing to become. Without successes and a thriving personal harvest we will not have the fundamentals we need to continue our work on all levels. So, let us celebrate the Sacred Circle of Life through dance and contemplation, and rejoice and reflect upon on this the first harvest in the Wheel of the Year. Blessed Lughnasadh/Lammas all!

Sidenote: This years festivities occur on a New Moon and Full Solar Eclipse!!!

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