Lammas also known as Lughnasad, or Lughnassadh, is a Pagan holiday and one of the eight Sabbats during the year.

Celebrated August 1st - 2nd in the Northern Hemisphere, this is a wheat harvest festival that is also known as Loaf Mass Day. The holiday encourages celebrations and mass gatherings where individuals thank Creator for the first harvest of the season. It is celebrated by those who wish to offer thanks to the Creator(s) and Mother Earth for blessing the world with a fruitful wheat harvest for a particular year. It's also a timely reminder to plan for autumn and winter as it marks the coming end to Summer as we head towards Mabon, the Autumn Equinox in September.

Lammas is a Saxon word meaning 'Loaf-mass', Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-nas-ah) is Irish Gaelic. At Lammas, fires were lit to honour the corn mother as she gives birth to her harvest child, the grain, who will sustain life over the winter.

In some traditions, this day honors the Celtic god, Lugh. This celebration of the god, Lugh is referred to as Lughnasad (pronounced Loo-NAS-ah). Lugh is the god of craftsmanship; he is skilled in many things, including blacksmithing, wheel making, and fighting.

Apple trees and gardens bear the fruits of summer. This is the time of Lughnasadh, the ancient Celtic festival held in celebration of the first fruits of the harvest. A time of rest from labor, a time to take stock of, and celebrate, what the summer sun has yielded.

What are the activities of Lammas?

This can include creating altars adorned with wheat sheaves, corn dolls, and other symbols of abundance. Offerings of bread, wine, and seasonal fruits are made to express thanks for the harvest. Crafting corn dollies from the last sheaf of wheat is a traditional Lammas activity.

Bread Breaking Ritual

This is the season of grain harvesting. Grains are the staff of life. A full grain bin is a beauty to behold, and signifies survival through the dark winter months ahead. One popular tradition that can be practiced as a family or group is the breaking of the bread ceremony. The practice goes something like this: 

-A member of the group prepares the dough for a loaf of bread.

-At the beginning of ritual proceedings, each member takes a turn kneading the bread, imbuing the loaf with blessings of plenty for the whole community.

-The loaf is shaped into a representation of Lugh - the god of grain.

-While other gathering rituals take place, the bread is baked.

-The gathering is ended with a feast that begins with the breaking of the ritually made loaf. The figure of Lugh is passed around, and each participant tears off a piece. This symbolizes the end one season, and the beginning of the next.

Lammas Meditation Ritual

Not only is this a time to spent outside with your community, it's a lovely time to ground yourself and harvest your intentions. 

Questions to ask yourself on Lammas: 

-What am I harvesting this year in my life?

-Where am I spreading generosity?

-What dream seeds can I plant for myself to help me grow in the coming months? 

-How can I tend my community during this time? 

Sit quietly with these thoughts in the sun as it passes over the sky. Let them wash over you and sweep through your body out into the air. Write your thoughts down to revisit if you'd like. Make a list, or sing a song to mark the occasion. 

However you wish to mark the day, we wish you and your family a beautiful Lammas!

Tara & Peter