Lughnasadh or Lammas is the pagan, wiccan and neopagan festival which celebrates the first harvest of the year. It is traditionally celebrated on August 1st in the Northern hemisphere (February 1st in the Southern hemisphere). It is meant to honor the seed and fruit bearing plants and the spirit of the grain. This holiday is named for Lugh (pronounced Loo), the Irish sun god, and refers to his funeral games. However, this is not his funeral. It is the funeral of his foster-mother, Tailtiu. There are many events surrounding Lammas including Tailteann craft fairs and Tailteann marriages, both named after his foster-mother.
The traditional Tailteann marriages are when couples are temporarily married for a year and a day and after that they are free to separate or continue on as they had for the previous year. The marriages were typically done by holding hands through a hole in a wooden door or by doing a handfasting ceremony where the hands were draped in a rope or cord to create a figure 8, the symbol of infinity.
The Lammas holiday celebrations include the traditional foods of apples, grains, breads and berries as well as grapes, heather, sloe, crab apples and pears. Participants celebrate by sharing a feast with family and friends. They also save the seeds from the fruits eaten during the celebration and plant them afterwards. They enjoy nature and spend time reflecting and appreciating all that the earth has given them. There were also traditional funeral games surrounding this festival which were kind of like the Irish version of the Olympics.
You might be wondering what you can do to incorporate Lammas into your life and style. There are tons of ways to show off your pagan celebratory spirit including pagan jewelry. The symbol of the pentagram (five-pointed, interconnected star in a circle) is traditionally a pagan symbol and the sun god, Lugh is celebrated with sun symbols. Here are some ideas of jewelry you can add to your wardrobe:
You can also get these customizable sun star ornaments to decorate your home. Happy Lammas!
