What is Lammas?
The sun is shining, the weather is warm and the crops are ready to be harvested. Welcome to the height of summer! Lammas or Lughnasadh (Loo-nah-sah) is the first of the three harvest festivals on the Wheel of the Year.
Lammas is traditionally celebrated on August 1 or when the sun reaches 15° Leo. It's one of the four cross quarter holidays which are not associated with a solstice or equinox, but were very important historically for Celtic people. Seasonally, this is the time when we're getting our first big batch of goodies from the garden, so we celebrate the hard work and sacrifices made and give thanks for the abundance the Earth provides. Lammas is also the last holiday in the light half of the year, with the Sun succumbing to darkness at Mabon, so it's a time of enjoying the warmth and long days while we still have them.
Historically, this holiday celebrates the Celtic God Lugh, which is where the name Lughnasadh originates. As Lugh is famously good at everything, this holiday was celebrated with sports, competitions, music, storytelling, and trading. It's said that in honor of his foster mother, Tailtiu, who died of exhaustion while clearing the fields of Ireland for agriculture, Lugh began the Aenach Tailteann. This was a tribal gathering where arguments were set aside for feasting and a celebration of athletics, akin to an Irish Olympics. It was held during the last two weeks of July until the celebration of Lughnasadh on August 1st. These games began somewhere between 1600 BC and 1829 BC. Marriages and contracts were also formalized during the celebration.
With the introduction of Christianity, the name became Lammas, meaning "loaf mass" and was when the first loafs of bread from the harvest were blessed. This theme continues today with products from wheat, barley, oats and corn being made, offered and eaten (or drank in the case of beer). These are left as offerings to the Goddess in appreciation of Her bounty. Another tradition that survived and became a part of Lammas was climbing hills and mountains, and throughout Ireland people still make "pilgrimages" to this day.
Playlist
Decorations
Sheaves of grain
Local flowers
Fresh produce
Bread in baskets
Sun symbols
Activities
Host Your Own Aenach Tailteann
As Lugh was known to be basically good at everything athletic, celebrate him and re-create a mini Aenach Tailteann with games that show off skill and athletic ability. Historically the games included spear tossing, fencing, and wrestling, but Corn Hole, Can Jam, and even beer pong would work as more modern versions of these games. Feel free to get silly, try a three legged race or create an epic scavenger hunt. As singing and storytelling were also aspects of the ancient games, why not have a karaoke competition? Let your imagination run and find ways to celebrate the areas you excel!
Host a Symbel or Brag
Combine some Celtic and Heathen traditions and do a symbel by bragging (stating an accomplishment) or boasting (stating what you plan to accomplish) for all to hear. Take turns sharing your successes and aspirations around a fire, toasting each person after they share. This is traditionally done with an animal horn full of mead, but a cup of ale or any beverage works too. Drink hearty to your success!
Abundance Magic
This is the time to celebrate the abundance in our lives and put out the intention to keep it going through the rest of the growing season. One way to do this is by simply sitting in meditation and visualizing yourself taking each step needed to reach your goal. You can also write on a small slip of paper “I have $___ in my possession” and keep it in your wallet. Tuck some dried goldenrod into the paper for a more potent spell. This is also the perfect time to give gratitude for any abundance spell that have come to fruition or to reinforce long-term spells that have yet to appear.
Go on a Picnic
What better way to enjoy the beautiful weather and bountiful harvest around us than with a picnic! Try to source all the goodies as locally as possible to really tap into the abundance available this season. Including some fresh baked bread and beer is especially seasonal as this is historically the first harvest of grains, so all their products are prized this day. Eat and drink in the name of the Goddess and God, by beginning with a prayer of thanks for the bounty laid before you. For extra credit, hike up a mountain to recreate the ancient tradition of hill climbing on Lammas. Mountain top picnic? Sounds perfect to me! Make sure you leave some of your feast for our animal friends as an act of gratitude and appreciation for the natural world around us.
Gather Goodies
The natural world is showing off in full at this time, with flowers, magical herbs and wild edibles galore! Pick a bouquet of wild flowers and include a few sprigs of wheat to display on your alter. Create a flower crown. Go foraging for wild edibles and herbs to use in your magic for the day (I recommend yarrow, golden rod, oak moss and vervain for seasonal magic of protection, strength, abundance and love). Make sure you connect to each plant as you harvest it and ask permission and give gratitude.
Build a Bonfire
The cross quarter holidays (the ones that aren't a solstice or equinox), are known as fire holidays, and this one is no different. As this is also Leo season, which is a fire sign, gathering with friends around a bonfire is astrologically supported as well! Sacrifice bad habits and unwanted things from your life by throwing symbols of them into the fire. If you gathered fresh stores of herbs this summer, throw the old dried ones into the fire with gratitude and the intention of releasing the old to make space for what the rest of this growing season is bringing for you. Dance around the fire, walking in a clockwise or deosil direction while focusing on the abundance you're cultivating.
Solidify your Love
During the Lughnasadh celebrations of Aenach Tailteann, couples often were married in front of the gathered tribes. If you're coupled and ready to take things to the next level, you may choose to try a trial marriage for a Year and a Day (basically neo-pagan engagement), get hand-fasted or renew your vows. If you're single, its a lovely season to ask your crush on a date. A picnic, bonfire, and a hand gathered bouquet are all rather romantic and Lammas approved.
Connect with Nature
Spend time in nature and connect to the Sun before it dies at Mabon. Hike a mountain and do your ritual at the top. Go camping. Take a trip to the beach and sunbathe. Have a meal outside. Invest in some comfy lawn furniture and read a book or simply meditate. Take time to appreciate the Sun and the Earth and all the bounty their combined energies produce. Give deep gratitude to the Earth for her bountiful harvest at this time.
Enjoy Crafting
Lugh is the artisan god of the Celts, so spend time doing your favorite type of creating. Take photos of your work and share it with friends and family so they can celebrate your artistry. If you want some seasonal craft ideas try making a wreath, sun wheel, or pentacle out of grain and seasonal flowers to honor the harvest. Corn dollies and wicker men are also made at this time to celebrate the harvest and honor the Gods and Goddesses that make it possible. If you host a bonfire, burning a wicker man made of natural materials is also traditional.
Bake Bread
Either alone or with friends, bake bread to celebrate the first harvest of grain. As you knead the bread, think of what abundance you would like to reap throughout the rest of the growing season. Keep scrolling for a Lammas bread recipe and other tasty seasonal goodies to add to your celebration.
Recipes
Lammas Bread
Any bread is Lammas Bread, but if you want to get extra fancy, check out this recipe for Sourdough Braided Bread with Calendula & Sunflowers by Nitty Gritty Life.
Fire Roasted Corn
If you’re hosting a Lammas bonfire, why not use it to cook a seasonal tasty treat!
Peel back the husks just enough to remove the silk, then replace them back around the cob. Soak the entire ear for at least 30 minutes so the husk is moist and steams the corn inside instead of burning immediately. Rake some coals to the side of the fire and place the corn above on a rack or beside the coals, turning every 5 minutes for about 30 minutes or until the corn inside is soft. Let the corn cool until you can handle it (or use potholders) and then peel off the husks. Slather it in your favorite topping and enjoy!
Lammas Libations
Beer, Mead, Whiskey! These are the traditional drinks of Lammas, but if you’re looking for a non-alcoholic beverage, why not harness the power of the sun and make sun tea! You can use any tea bag or herbal blend you fancy or make a combination of Lammas specific herbs such as Chamomile, Meadowsweet, Calendula/Marigold, Yarrow, Vervain, Sunflower petals, or Roses. Place the tea in a large jar and fill it with water. Place it in the sun for 3 hours and then serve over ice. If you want to sweeten it, only do so after you take it out of the sun.