Lammas/Lughnasad
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August 1st
Overview:
Lammas, also known as Lughnasad or Lughanassadh celebrates the grain harvest and the peak of the garden season. This is a time to relax in the still long days, and reflect upon the coming of the autumn season. Give thanks and delight in the harvest gifts of late summer. We are in the season of ripe tomatoes, zucchini, grapes, melons, beans, and corn. Many modern witches bake breads and cakes to celebrate. I like to make a whole feast with my garden bounty and work some hearth witch magick!
During Lammas, many pagans and witches take the time to honor the god of the harvest, Lugh, and give thanks for the abundance of the earth. This can be done through rituals and offerings to the god, such as leaving out food or drink as offerings.
It is also a time to celebrate the first harvest of the year. Many pagans and witches will participate in a Lammas feast, where they will share in the abundance of the harvest and give thanks for the food that sustains them. This can be done by gathering together with friends and family to share a meal of freshly harvested fruits and vegetables.
Common Traditions:
The early harvest and threshing of wheat has been celebrated for hundreds of years. In many traditions people celebrate with the making of corn dolls and bread baking. Games and contests are held in honor of the Celtic god Lugh, and some people give gifts of gloves or mittens from the old tradition of landowners giving a pair of gloves to their tenants after the harvest.
Colors:
yellow, orange, and gold, representing the ripening crops and the warmth of the sun
Plants/Herbs:
wheat, barley, corn, oats, and rye, as they are all grains that are harvested during this time, chamomile, fennel, and rose hips
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Animals:
Bees, hedgehogs, horses, pigs, roosters, snakes, deer, cows, sheep, and pigs
Ideas to Celebrate:
Set up a Lammas alter with late summer flowers, wheat, and corn. Use beeswax candles and crystals such as carnelian, sunstone, agate, peridot, citrine, amber, desert rose, and pyrite.
Plan the late fall/winter garden
Host a potluck
Go to the farmer’s market
Make corn husk dollies or try crafts such as wheat weaving
Take a walk or hike in the countryside to observe the harvest in action.
Participate in a Lammas feast with friends and family, sharing in the abundance of the harvest.
Perform a ritual or spell to give thanks to the sun.
Read tarot cards to gain insight into the coming harvest season.
Make a loaf of traditional Lammas bread, such as a fruited soda bread, to share with friends and family.
Take time to reflect on the abundance in your life and give thanks for it.
In our home we celebrate with a simple dinner outside of Garden Zucchini Pasta, fresh baked bread served warm with a side of herb butter, a huge salad of greens, tomatoes, and fresh herbs topped with oil and balsamic dressing. For dessert a simple cheese board with is set out with fruit and drizzled with honey. After dinner, we clear the table to play board and card games and relax in the evening twilight.
Lammas is a time to celebrate the abundance of the earth and to give thanks for the blessings we have received. It is a time to gather with friends and family, share in the harvest, and honor the god of the harvest. By taking the time to celebrate Lammas, we can connect with the natural world and the cycles of the earth, and be reminded of the abundance that surrounds us.
A Lammas Poem
Lammas, the first harvest of the year
A time for abundance, for cheer
The fields are ripe, the wheat is tall
Nature's bounty, a feast for all
The sun is strong, the days are long
The earth is alive with a joyful song
Families gather, bread is made
A symbol of life, of love, unafraid
The season of growth, the season of change
A time to reflect, to rearrange
The seeds we've sown, the hopes we've kept
Are now reaped, a bountiful harvest we've reft
Lammas, a time of gratitude
For all that we have, all that is good
We give thanks for the blessings bestowed
And look forward to the path ahead, unrolled
So let us gather, let us sing
In celebration of the changing of things
Lammas, a time of abundance and peace
May it bring you joy, love, and release.
