Lammas August 1st

Celebrating Grain in Ancient Cultures

Grain has held a place of importance in civilization back nearly to the beginning of time. Grain became associated with the cycle of death and rebirth. The Sumerian god Tammuz was slain and his lover Ishtar grieved so heartily that nature stopped producing. Ishtar mourned Tammuz, and followed him to the Underworld to bring him back, similar to the story of Demeter and Persephone.

In Greek legend, the grain god was Adonis. Two goddesses, Aphrodite and Persephone, battled for his love. To end the fighting, Zeus ordered Adonis to spend six months with Persephone in the Underworld, and the rest with Aphrodite.

A Feast of Bread

In early Ireland, it was a bad idea to harvest your grain any time before Lammas; it meant that the previous year’s harvest had run out early, and that was a serious failing in agricultural communities. However, on August 1, the first sheaves of grain were cut by the farmer, and by nightfall his wife had made the first loaves of bread of the season.

The word Lammas derives from the Old English phrase hlaf-maesse, which translates to loaf mass. In early Christian times, the first loaves of the season were blessed by the Church. Stephen Batty says,

“In Wessex, during the Anglo Saxon period, bread made from the new crop would be brought to church and blessed and then the Lammas loaf was broken into four pieces and placed in the corners of a barn where it served as a symbol of protection over the garnered grain. Lammas was a ritual that recognized a community’s dependency on what Thomas Hardy once called ‘the ancient pulse of germ and birth.'”

Honoring the Past

In some Wiccan and modern Pagan traditions, Lammas is also a day of honoring Lugh, the Celtic craftsman god. He is a god of many skills, and was honored in various aspects by societies both in the British Isles and in Europe. Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-NAS-ah) is still celebrated in many parts of the world today. Lugh’s influence appears in the names of several European towns.

In our modern world, it’s often easy to forget the trials and tribulations our ancestors had to endure. For us, if we need a loaf of bread, we simply drive over to the local grocery store and buy a few bags of prepackaged bread. If we run out, it’s no big deal, we just go and get more. When our ancestors lived, hundreds and thousands of years ago, the harvesting and processing of grain was crucial. If crops were left in the fields too long, or the bread not baked in time, families could starve. Taking care of one’s crops meant the difference between life and death.

By celebrating Lammas as a harvest holiday, we honor our ancestors and the hard work they must have had to do in order to survive. This is a good time to give thanks for the abundance we have in our lives, and to be grateful for the food on our tables. Lammas is a time of transformation, of rebirth and new beginnings.

Symbols of the Season

The Wheel of the Year has turned once more, and you may feel like decorating your house accordingly. While you probably can’t find too many items marked as “Lammas decor” in your local discount store, there are a number of items you can use to decorate for lammas (lughansadh).

• Sickles and scythes, as well as other symbols of harvesting season
• Grapes and vines
• Dried grains, such as sheafs of wheat, bowls of oats, etc.
• Corn dolls, which you can make easily using dried husks
• Early fall vegetables, such as squashes and pumpkins, to represent the harvest, as well as abundance.
• Late summer fruits, like apples, plums and peaches, to celebrate the end of the summer harvest as we transition into fall.
• Crafts, Song and Celebration

Because of its association with Lugh, the skilled god, Lammas (Lughnasadh) is also a time to celebrate talents and craftsmanship. It’s a traditional time of year for craft festivals, and for skilled artisans to peddle their wares. In medieval Europe, guilds would arrange for their members to set up booths around a village green, festooned with bright ribbons and fall colors. Perhaps this is why so many modern Renaissance Festivals begin around this time of year!

Lugh is also known in some traditions as the patron of bards and magicians. Now is a great time of year to work on honing your own talents. Learn a new craft, or get better at an old one. Put on a play, write a story or poem, take up a musical instrument, or sing a song. Whatever you choose to do, this is the right season for rebirth and renewal, so set August 1 as the day to share your new skill with your friends and family.

(Wigington, Patti. “Lammas History: Welcoming the Harvest.” Learn Religions, Feb. 11, 2020, learnreligions.com/history-of-the-lammas-harvest-celebration-2562170.)

10 Ways to celebrate Lammas

1. Popcorn party
   1. This is especially good if you have kids. You can make crafts out of it, attempt one of the many ‘gourmet’ versions of it, or simply add it as a fun addition to movie night. This is a way to honor the grain harvest that begins in this season,
2. Make Beeswax candles
   1. This is a way to honor the bees who have been working hard all summer long. You can get the wax from a craft store or a local beekeeper.
3. Pick sunflowers
   1. This is another great activity to do with the children. They are a great symbol of the end of the season and the summer we’ve endured. Make sure to leave an offering behind or to make one later to thank the earth for the flowers. A bit of tobacco or some seed should work fine.
4. Bake bread from scratch
   1. You can find recipes all over the internet that you can do without a bread maker. When your bread is made, make sure you leave an offering on your altar.
5. Decorate your Lammas altar
   1. Sunflowers, beeswax candles, baked bread, colors of gold and orange, and harvest vegetables are great additions.
6. Start canning
   1. If you do canning or have ever wanted to try, now is your time. This is a grat way to preserve fresh, local produce for the winter. You can even store away fruits and veggies that will be useful in holidays to come; canning pears for Yule is a great one!
7. Bless the home
   1. I bless my home often anyway, but this is a great way to start a new cycle of the wheel of the year. Air out the house by opening the windows and saging all the windows and doors. Light some candles and enjoy the positive vibes.
8. Toast the Sunset
   1. Armed with wine or harvest mead, sage, and a picnic blanket, find a quiet, natural setting to watch the sunset and absorb its beauty.
9. Fireworks
   1. USE ONLY WHERE LEGAL. 
   2. Celebrate the end of the fertility season with some fireworks. There’s nothing like a celebration with a bang!
   3. PLEASE BE THOUGHTFUL:
      1. There are many afflicted with PTSD and other ailments that cannot handle the sounds and lights of fireworks. It is also a nuisance to neighbors.
      2. Pets are often scared of loud noises like fireworks and thunder and may try to escape their home for the safety of a quieter, calmer place. 
      3. Please find a secluded area where you can set off fireworks without negatively affecting everyone else.