Lammas
July 31
Pronunciation is as it sounds and is Anglo-Saxon for "loaf-mass".
Other names:
Lughnasadh ~ Cornucopia ~ The Feast of Bread ~ Thingtide
Lore:
The Lord grows old and ethereal, becoming the Elder - as the crops are cut down, so are the days of His life. He is weathered and beginning to weaken. The Goddess is the Mother, heavily pregnant with the infant God to be reborn at Yule. All the growing is over and the harvesting has begun.
Keywords:
First harvest, abundance, richness, fruitfulness, afterglow, the beginning of the end, generosity, celebrating gifts, lazy, sacrifice (something must die in order for something to be born), turning towards darkness.
Botanicals:
Sandalwood, rose, grapes, heather, sunflowers, grains.
Colours:
Red, gold, orange, brown.
Lammas is the traditional time of Harvest, and preparation for the coming winter months. Lammas is awareness of the approach of winter, and thanksgiving for the year's harvest. All crops associated with bread are sacred to this time, in particular barley. The drinks of the season are beer, ale, cider, and all things brewed.
Lammas begins what is called "the chase of Lugh". Lugh is the Celtic Sun God and He grows within the crops, living within the golden fields. This is the time of the first harvests. At this celebration we give thanks to the Earth for its bounty and beauty. It is from these harvests that we eat through the upcoming winter. Honouring the God Lugh, games and sports are played to celebrate strength and good health. This is a time to harvest the dreams planted earlier in the year.
While Lammas can be considered a time of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest, the overriding theme is one of sacrifice - in that something has to give to make way for something else. The Sun's strength begins to wane and the plants of spring begin to wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use, as well as to ensure future crops.
Altar decoration:
A loaf of handmade bread, a wooden bowl filled with fruits and vegetables, rice, grains.
Pronunciation is as it sounds and is Anglo-Saxon for "loaf-mass".
Other names:
Lughnasadh ~ Cornucopia ~ The Feast of Bread ~ Thingtide
Lore:
The Lord grows old and ethereal, becoming the Elder - as the crops are cut down, so are the days of His life. He is weathered and beginning to weaken. The Goddess is the Mother, heavily pregnant with the infant God to be reborn at Yule. All the growing is over and the harvesting has begun.
Keywords:
First harvest, abundance, richness, fruitfulness, afterglow, the beginning of the end, generosity, celebrating gifts, lazy, sacrifice (something must die in order for something to be born), turning towards darkness.
Botanicals:
Sandalwood, rose, grapes, heather, sunflowers, grains.
Colours:
Red, gold, orange, brown.
Lammas is the traditional time of Harvest, and preparation for the coming winter months. Lammas is awareness of the approach of winter, and thanksgiving for the year's harvest. All crops associated with bread are sacred to this time, in particular barley. The drinks of the season are beer, ale, cider, and all things brewed.
Lammas begins what is called "the chase of Lugh". Lugh is the Celtic Sun God and He grows within the crops, living within the golden fields. This is the time of the first harvests. At this celebration we give thanks to the Earth for its bounty and beauty. It is from these harvests that we eat through the upcoming winter. Honouring the God Lugh, games and sports are played to celebrate strength and good health. This is a time to harvest the dreams planted earlier in the year.
While Lammas can be considered a time of thanksgiving for the bountiful harvest, the overriding theme is one of sacrifice - in that something has to give to make way for something else. The Sun's strength begins to wane and the plants of spring begin to wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use, as well as to ensure future crops.
Altar decoration:
A loaf of handmade bread, a wooden bowl filled with fruits and vegetables, rice, grains.