Lughnasadh

Anima Keltia
Jul 31, 2015
2 min read

Updated: Jul 2

Lughnasad is a Celtic festival held on August 1st. It is a harvest festival (primarily of wheat). All the rites of Lughnasad aimed to ensure a season of generous fruit, as a plentiful harvest ensured the survival of the population during the cold and barren winter months.

The reaper of the first sheaf was tasked with weaving a "wheat doll" from the finest ears of grain. This doll was preserved until the next harvest, when it was burned to return to the Earth and be replaced by the next one at the new harvest. In the meantime, it was kept in special places, such as a tree, a kitchen, or a church.

In England, Lughnasadh corresponds to Blueberry Day: blueberry picking was also practiced for divinatory purposes: if blueberries were abundant, it was believed that the harvest would be more than sufficient.

Lughnasadh is also known by the Saxon name Lammas ("loaf-mass"), meaning "Bread Festival." On this day, homemade poppy bread was offered to the god Lugh. In the Middle Ages, the bread was brought to church to be blessed.

Lughnasadh was also an occasion to celebrate weddings under the aegis of the mystical nuptials between the god Lugh and the goddess Erin. At dawn on the eve of Lughnasadh, small flower-covered huts were built, preferably near waterways, where the lovers slept together on the night of July 31st.

At Lughnasadh, Lugh, a god associated with both the sun and agricultural fertility, and Arianrhod, goddess of the moon and dawn, were honored. In their honor, sumptuous banquets, assemblies, large markets and fairs, horse races, and tournaments in which warriors competed were held. The celebrations lasted for several weeks.

What do you dare to do at Lughnasadh?

Make Lammas bread and give some to the poor.
Celebrate with friends around a bonfire with popcorn or corn loaves.
Make corn dolls with the children.
Gather fruit and vegetables from the garden or orchard, or blueberries in the mountains.
Make jam or cakes with blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries.
Purify your art tools with nettle and sandalwood fumigations.
Meditate by visualizing yourself completing a long-started project, or create a wish scroll where you write down what you wish would flourish with the next harvest and burn it in the bonfire.