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Lammas is the season of the early harvest.
Image by Patti Wigington 2012
Our northern hemisphere readers are celebrating Lammas, or Lughnasadh, this week, so let's take a look at some of the many different ways you can celebrate. This is the season of the early grain harvest, when the gardens and fields are overflowing with abundance. It's a time to honor, in some traditions, the Celtic craftsman god, Lugh - so take some time to get in touch with your inner artisan!
For our readers below the equator, it's Imbolc. This festival is traditionally a time to honor the hearth goddess Brighid, but can also be used to mark the midpoint between the winter solstice and the arrival of spring. If you're one of our southern hemisphere readers, be sure to check the links in the sidebar (and at the bottom of the newsletter) for information on Imbolc.
Whichever of these two sabbats you may be observing this week, we at About Paganism/Wicca wish you a magical and blessed celebration.
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Lammas Rites & Rituals
Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Lammas. Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying -- and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.
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Lammas Customs & Traditions
Lammas is a popular time for country fairs.
Image by J&L Images/Stockybyte/Getty Images
The early harvest and the threshing of grain has been celebrated for thousands of years. Here are just a few of the customs and legends surrounding the Lammas season.
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Lammas Magic
Lammas is a time of excitement and magic. The natural world is thriving around us, and yet the knowlege that everything will soon die looms in the background. This is a good time to work some magic around the hearth and home.
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Apples make great meals and easy decorations!
Image © Patti Wigington
For our northern hemisphere readers, Lammas is coming up next week on August 1. Looking for some fun and inexpensive ways to decorate your home for Lammas? Make an easy grapevine pentacle, apple candleholders, a cornhusk chain and Lammas incense as a way to celebrate the season.
If you're planning a big feast, try planning your menu around the bounty of the fields and farms - there are lots of great meals you can make for Lammas, so check out some of our favorite recipes! For our gluten free readers, celebrating Lammas can be a challenge - after all, it's a Sabbat that focuses on bread - so be sure to read the article with tips just for you.
Down below the equator, our southern hemisphere readers are readying for Imbolc - be sure to check out the links in the sidebar off to the right!
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5 Easy Lammas Decorations
Need some quick and affordable decorating ideas for Lammas/Lughnasadh? Wheat, corn and fresh produce are just a few of the natural goodies you can use to decorate your halls and walls to celebrate the Lammas season. Here are some tips on how to bring the season into your home without breaking your bank account! 5 Easy Lammas Decorations
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Lammas Craft Projects
Use aspects of nature for Lammas crafting.
Image © Patti Wigington 2009
As summer winds to a close and autumn approaches, make crafts and decorations for your home that celebrate the outdoors and the gifts of nature.
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Celebrating Lammas if You're Eating Gluten-Free
Bread is great – it’s filling and delicious, and goes with just about everything. Baking it and eating it are part of the Lammas theme. But what if you can’t eat gluten? If you’re on a gluten-free diet, any bread made from what flour is off-limits. So, how do you celebrate and keep the spirit of the sabbat alive, without making yourself too sick to function? Read on for suggestions on how to celebrate Lammas when you're eating gluten-free.
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Lammas Feasting & Food
Take advantage of the bounty of the fields
when you prepare your Lammas feast.
Image by Nina Gallant/Image Bank/Getty Images
Nothing says "Pagan celebration" like a potluck! Lammas, or Lughnasadh, is the time of year when the gardens are in full bloom. From root vegetables to fresh herbs, so much of what you need is right there in your own back yard or at the local farmer's market. Let's take advantage of the gifts of the garden, and cook up a feast to celebrate the first harvest at Lammas! Try Our Favorite Lammas Recipes
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Lammas Craft Projects
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Take advantage of the magic of the Lammas season.
Image by Stock4B/Stock4B/Getty Images
For our northern hemisphere readers, Lammas (or Lughnasadh) is right around the corner. This is the season of the early harvest, the time when the grain fields are being threshed, the apple orchards are beginning to bloom, and the gardens are full of summer's bounty. Lammas is a time of excitement and magic. The natural world is thriving around us, and yet the knowledge that everything will soon die looms in the background. It's a great time to do magic based on seasonal themes such as bread and corn, as well as protection magic - particularly focusing on the home and hearth.
If you're one of our readers below the equator, it's just about time for Imbolc for you - be sure to read the links over in the sidebar on the right hand side for some tips on Imbolc magic!
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The Magic of the Ash and Oak
In many magical traditions, the trees ash and oak are very powerful. In Norse mythology, Yggdrasil was an ash tree, and since the time of Odin's ordeal, the ash has often been associated with divination and knowledge. In some Celtic legends, it is also seen as a tree sacred to the god Lugh, who is celebrated atLughnasadh. Let's take a look at ash tree magic and legend.
In many cultures the oak is sacred, and is often connected to legends of deities who interact with mortals. Throughout history, most of the major civilizations of Europe held the oak as a highly venerated tree, and it was associated with deities in many pantheons. Be sure to read about the magic of the mighty oak tree.
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Magical Bread Folklore
Bread has been used as sacrifice in rituals in many cultures.
Image by A Carmichael/Stone/Getty Images
The word “Lammas” comes from the Old English phrase hlaf-maesse, which translates to “loaf mass.” Today, it’s not uncommon to find a celebration of bread at a Pagan festival during the Lammas season. There are a number of different ways that bread itself can be incorporated into a ritual or magical setting. Let’s look at some of the magical folklore surrounding bread in different cultures and societies.
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Protection Magic
In many magical traditions, workings can be done to ensure protection of home, property, and people. There are a number of simple ways you can do protection workings - and a lot of people opt to work on this during the late summer and early fall, as the light begins to wane. Get started working on protection magicas Lammas draws closer.
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Honey Magic and Folklore
Honey is delicious, healthy, and magical!
Image by Bob Stefko/Image Bank/Getty Images
During the late summer and early fall, honey is a staple crop in many parts of the world. This deliciously sweet and sticky gift from the bee population is considered a health food - it will protect you against allergies if you eat just a teaspoon of locally sourced honey each day. Honey also has a number of magical properties.
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Have you started planning your Lammas rituals yet?
Image by Patti Wigington, 2009
Depending on your individual spiritual path, there are many different ways you can celebrate Lammas, but typically the focus is on either the early harvest aspect, or the celebration of theCeltic god Lugh. It's the season when the first grains are ready to be harvested and threshed, when the apples and grapes are ripe for the plucking, and we're grateful for the food we have on our tables.
Here are a few rituals you may want to think about trying -- and remember, any of them can be adapted for either a solitary practitioner or a small group, with just a little planning ahead.
If you're one of our readers below the equator, be sure to check the links in the sidebar off to the right for info on how to celebrate Imbolc!
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Set Up Your Lammas Altar
August 1 is known as Lammas, or Lughnasadh. This is a day to celebrate the beginnings of the harvest, when the grain and corn is gathered. It's also a time, in some traditions, of honoring Lugh, the Celtic craftsman god. Here are some ideas for dressing up your altar for your Lammas (Lughnasadh) celebration!Setting Up Your Lammas Altar
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Lammas Bread Sacrifice Ritual
Mark the harvest by breaking bread.
Image by A Carmichael/Stone/Getty Images
Lammas is a time of celebrating the beginning of the harvest, a theme seen often in the sacrifice of the grain god. Make a sacrifice of your own this Lammas, with this bread ritual that marks the beginning of the harvest. Lammas Bread Sacrifice Ritual
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Ritual to Honor Lugh the Craftsman
August 1 is known in many Pagan traditions as Lammas, and is a celebration of the early harvest. However, in some paths, it's a day to honor Lugh, the Celtic god of craftsmanship. Celebrate your own talents and skills on Lughnasadh by honoring Lugh with a rite that can be held for a group or a solitary practitioner.Ritual to Honor Lugh of the Many Skills
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Lammas Harvest Ritual
Lammas is the time of harvesting grain.
Image by Cultura/Henry Arden/Riser/Getty Images
Lammas is the early harvest Sabbat, and celebrates the crops of late summer and early autumn. If you wish to honor the Harvest Mother aspect of the Goddess and celebrate the cycle of life and rebirth, hold this Lammas rite either with a group or as a solitary practitioner. Hold a Lammas Harvest Ritual
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Lammas is a time to celebrate the harvesting of grain.
Image by Raimund Linke/Stone/Getty Images
Hard to believe we're into July already! That means Lammas, or Lughnasadh, is right around the corner. This harvest holiday celebrates the grain and the crops - and in some traditions, it's time to honor the Celtic craftsman god, Lugh. Let's look at some of the rich history and tradition behind the celebrations of the Lammas season.
For our southern hemisphere readers, it's nearly time for Imbolc - be sure to read the links in the sidebar off to the right, for some background on the customs and traditions of Imbolc.
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Legends and Lore of Lammas
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Deities of the Season
Lugh is the patron god of blacksmiths and artisans.
Image by John Burke/Taxi/Getty Images
When Lammastide rolls around, the fields are full and fertile. Crops are abundant, and the late summer harvest is ripe for the picking. In nearly every ancient culture, this was a time of celebration of the agricultural significance of the season. Because of this, it was also a time when many gods and goddesses were honored. These are some of the many deities who are connected with this earliest harvest holiday. Learn more about the Deities of the Season.
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Lammas History
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Celebrating the Season of Grain
Lammas is a time for country fairs and harvest festivals.
Image by VisitBritain/Grant Pritchard/Britain on View/Getty Images
The early harvest and the threshing of grain has been celebrated for thousands of years. Here are just a few of the customs and legends surrounding the Lammas season.
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