Lughnasadh / Lammas Celebrations

The first of the Harvest festivals is here. Are you ready?

Of all the festivals in the pagan calendar, Lammas / Lughnasadh has to be one of the nicest, and also one of the most underrated. It’s not as colourful as Beltane, or as dramatic as Samhain, so it tends to slip under the radar. But instead it’s a gentle, sunny festival that focuses on warmth, abundance and gratitude. And freshly baked bread. Which, let's face it, is reason enough for a festival.

It’s the first of three harvest festivals (if you follow the Wheel of the Year) and it was traditionally a time to cut the first corn of the season, bake bread, harvest hedgerow berries and feast. It takes place next week, on the 1st August and it’s a great excuse to celebrate all things warm, golden and cosy.

Because August is a cross-over month that leads us out of one season and into another, there’s still lots of late-Summer warmth to enjoy at the time of this festival, but there’s also just the tiniest hint of early Autumn on the horizon too, which fills my Autumn-loving heart with joy.

In this newsletter we’ll look at the origins of Lughnasadh and Lammas, dip into some of the folklore that surrounds this early harvest festival then explore how to celebrate it in your own home this month.

Photo by Evi Radauscher on Unsplash

What is Lughnasadh / Lammas?

Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-na-sa) is one of four Celtic seasonal festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane and it falls on the 1st August, halfway between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox, although it is sometimes celebrated on the nearest full moon to this date. The festival is named after the Celtic god Lugh and rituals involved ceremonially cutting the first sheaf of corn as well as feasting, celebrating and storytelling. In Celtic history this was also an auspicious time to visit holy wells, or outdoor water sources and leave tokens of gratitude. 

This early harvest festival is thought to have influenced other harvest festivals which are held at the same time, including the Anglo Saxon festival of Lammas (from the Old English loaf mass) which is held on the same day and has many similarities with Lughnasadh.

It’s highly probable that Lammas was originally a pagan festival, influenced by Lughnasadh, which was later adopted by the Christian church. Lammas also celebrates the first grain harvest, and it was traditional to take a loaf of bread made from this harvest to church to have it blessed on 1st August.

Photo by Timothy Eberly on Unsplash

Lammas / Lughnasadh Folklore

Many pagan cultures have references to a corn spirit or harvest spirit that is said to live in the grain fields and should be respected at harvest time. During the grain harvest, the last sheaf of corn to be cut was said to contain the corn spirit so this was woven into a corn dolly to be kept and protected until the next sowing or harvest. Read more about corn dollies here.

How to celebrate it at home

This early autumn festival is all about warmth, community, freshly baked bread and celebrating the summer so it’s a wonderful excuse to fill your home with all things golden.

Here are a few ways to bring some Lughnasadh / Lammas rituals into your home this August:

Photo by Kate Remmer on Unsplash

1. Bake bread

While we might not be so closely linked to agricultural cycles any more, we can still celebrate the cutting of the first grain by baking (or buying) a loaf of fresh bread. In anticipation of next week I’ve fired up my bread maker which is, along with my coffee machine, one of the most indispensable things in my kitchen. It had temporarily been put into a cupboard over the summer, but now it’s back out on the worktop and being put to work. Is there anything better than the smell of freshly baked bread? Quick answer: no.

2. Cut sunflowers

Sunflowers are at their beautiful best at this month, as their large golden flower heads ripen and start to nod, weighted down with seed. Now is the time to bring them indoors and enjoy their beauty as a cut flower and also to harvest their seeds for sowing next year. Some farms offer ‘pick your own sunflowers’ at this time of year which is my idea of a perfect day out. Yes, I realise I’m easily pleased. Here’s a list of farms that do - see if there’s one near you.

3. Preserve fruit

This festival is sometimes referred to as the ‘festival of the first fruits’ as this is the time when hedgerow berries are fully ripened and ready to pick. While many are best eaten fresh, now is also the time to make the most of any fruit gluts and preserve soft fruit for the months ahead. Blackberries, blueberries, gooseberries, plums, raspberries and redcurrants can all be preserved or frozen now to last through the winter months.

4. Decorate your home with seasonal finds

Time to update your nature altar, or seasonal shelf, with some early autumn treasure. Sheaves of corn, a few late-summer flowers, orange or yellow candles or crystals are all lovely things to have around at this time of year. If you feel creative you could have a go at weaving a corn dolly or corn ornament.

5. Give thanks for the summer

This first harvest festival is a time of celebration, and although the days are starting to shorten, there is still plenty of warmth and heat to enjoy. Now is the time to give thanks for the life-giving energy of the sun and for everything we have achieved and been given so far. Autumn is on the horizon, but for now there’s no rush, and plenty of warm sunny days still to enjoy.

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Over to you…

I’d love to know how / if you celebrate this early harvest festival. Do you love this time of year? Ever made a corn dolly? Just here for the fresh bread? All thoughts and ideas welcomed below.

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Vicky xx