Lughnasadh/Lammas

Lughnasadh, also known as Lammas, is a festival that celebrates the beginning of the harvest season in the Celtic tradition. It is held on August 1st, or halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, and is an official holiday in Ireland. Lughnasadh honors the god Lugh, a master of many crafts and skills, who is associated with the sun and light.

Lughnasadh has its roots in ancient pagan customs that marked the first fruits of the harvest, especially grains. The name Lammas comes from the Old English hlaf-maesse, meaning loaf mass, because bread made from the new crop was blessed by the church. In some places, people would make a corn dolly, a figure of a woman or a goddess, from the last sheaf of grain and keep it until the next spring to ensure fertility and abundance.

Lughnasadh was also a time for feasting, games, and fairs. One of the most famous events was the Tailteann Games, a sporting competition that included horse racing, wrestling, and hurling. Lughnasadh was also a time for matchmaking and handfasting, a trial marriage that lasted a year and a day. Some of these customs have survived until today, such as the Reek Sunday pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick in Ireland or the Puck Fair in Killorglin.

Lughnasadh is still celebrated by many modern pagans and Wiccans, who see it as a time to give thanks for the bounty of nature and to honor the cycle of life and death. Some of the ways to celebrate Lughnasadh include baking bread or cakes with seasonal fruits, making corn dollies or sun wheels, offering the first fruits to the gods or spirits, playing games or sports, or attending a public ritual or festival.