How To Celebrate Lammas
Happy First Harvest!
July 31/August 1st in the Northern Hemisphere and January 31/February 1st in the Southern Hemisphere marks the holiday of Lughnasadh (pronounced “Loo-NAS-ah”) in the Irish tradition and Lammas in the English tradition. Lammas is the first of three harvest festivals in the Wheel of the Year, a Celtic calendar consisting of the equinoxes, solstices, and their quarter points. Lammas marks the halfway point in between the Summer Solstice and the Autumn Equinox.
History
Lammas was an early Christian holiday that celebrated the first grain harvest, which is where it gets the name Lammas or “loaf-mas”. Lammas was an attempt to Christianize the pagan holiday of Lughnasadh, which celebrated the step mother of the sky god Lugh. Lughnasadh was established as a day of games and feasting in her honor, after she passed away from exhaustion from hard work.
Lessons
In weeks leading up to this festival, crops were not yet ready for harvest and there was a high risk of starvation. How often do we start a project or idea and expect results immediately? This holiday reminds us that taking care of the things we want nourishment from - projects, relationships, community etc. - takes time and patience. Possibly, there is even a time of famine before the harvest. This time of waiting is necessary to let the cycles complete themselves and allow for what is growing to become strong enough to produce and give.
Lammas is a holiday of harvesting. It was said to be a bad omen if you remained hungry during this festival as it marked the season of full bellies going forward. Lammas teaches us to fully embrace, harvest, and receive nourishment from the things that you have cultivated. What relationships, projects, lifestyle choices, and mindset shifts have you put love and energy into that you can now reap the benefits from? What in your job, life’s work, or parenting have you created that can now be harvested?
What progress have you made on your goals so far this year? As we move into the harvest season, you can look back and reflect on what has already been accomplished this year. Often, it is easy to look at goals as successful only when you complete them. It can be empowering to celebrate the changes that happen along the way.
For you this could be a subtle, but impactful mindset change, habit, or new practice that you’ve integrated. What progress have you made towards your goals?
The coming of Autumn called for a time in which everyone was responsible for helping with the harvest, which also intermingled genders who were separated earlier in the year by opposing tasks. There are records of gatherings of young couples who could enter into trial unions for a year and a day to see if they wanted to continue to create a life together. What pieces of love are you ready to let in to your life or rekindle for the harvest season?
How To Celebrate
While contemplating the lessons above, harvest what you can from your life, your energy, and the world around you.
• Bake bread
• Harvest from your garden or visit a farmer’s market
• Decorate your home or altar with fresh herbs
• Create a water ritual like this one
For even more inspiration:
Herbs: Mugwort, Arnica, Calendula, Dill, Sage, Valerian, Yarrow
Foods: Grains, bread, potatoes, and anything from your garden
Flowers: Camomile, Blue corn flowers
Deities: Demeter, Persephone, Mercury, Mother Earth, Lugh
Further Reading and References:
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mages-well/id1494991619?i=1000621655996
https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/the-origins-and-practices-of-lammas-lughnasad/
Goddess Wisdom by Tanishka
May you be nourished this harvest season!
