It’s Lughnasadh! Let’s Celebrate!

What exactly is Lughnasadh?

Lughnasadh, pronounced ‘loo-nas-ah’, is an Irish festival that heralds in the harvest season. It’s on the first day of August or celebrated on the day of the full moon nearest 1 August. This is halfway between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. It is also called Lammas (old English). It’s one of four fire festivals in Ireland. It is also celebrated in Wales, Isle of Man, Cornwall, Scotland, and parts of England. (Celtic influence.)

In ancient Ireland, this was the day to cut grain. If one cut their grain too early, they ran the risk of running out of enough grain to feed their families through the winter. After the harvest, loaves of bread were baked and a celebration ensued. These would include: feasting, matchmaking, trial marriages (in which young couples joined hands through a hole in a wooden door and were married for a year and a day. They then could decide at the next festival if they wanted to stay married), trading, markets, horse races, gatherings of far-flung family, music, storytelling, picking blueberries, law proclamations, visiting holy wells (to leave offerings and pray for health), and athletic contests.

Personally, I think the whole trial marriage idea would make a great novel.

The Tailteann games, considered the first Olympics, originated here. They comprised of competitions in long jumps, high jumps, tug of war, climbing mountains, wrestling, rowing, archery, spear throwing, sword fighting, running, and chariot and horse races. These games were about 1000 years before the Greek Olympics.

Myth surrounding the festival: the Tuatha De Dana god, Lugh, started it as a funeral feast, as well as athletic competition, to honor his foster-mother, Tailtiu. She died of exhaustion after clearing the fields of Ireland so they could be planted. Lugh was a god of many talents. He’s the god of craftsmanship, including; blacksmithing, wheel making, and fighting. (I’m not sure why fighting was in the list for craftsmanship, but it is an art form and this is Irish…)

Christianity adopted the pagan festival by blessing the loaves of bread at mass (Lammas=loaf mass). The mountain climbing became a pilgrimage. Holy wells turned to going to church to give thanks for the harvest and enjoying the fruits of your labor.

Today, with Irish revival, Lughnasadh, like other ancient festivals, are celebrated. One example is the the Puck Fair. It’s probably a survival of the Lughnasadh festival, though the first record of the fair is in 1613. It’s held each year in early August in the town of Killorglin, County Kerry. At the beginning of the three-day street festival, a wild goat is crowned “king,” while a local girl is crowned “queen.” The festival includes traditional music and night concerts, traditional Irish dancing, a parade, arts and crafts workshops, a horse and cattle fair, and trade stalls, to name a few. The festival ends with a fireworks display.

We happened to be in Kerry at this time one year. It was crazy! Hundreds of people for miles in every direction. Unfortunately, we didn’t stop to take in the festivities, but we had to drive very slowly through several streets a few different times and were able to see all the fun things they had going on. Our host at the BnB said they used to go every year and people from all over Ireland attend. Interested? Here’s a link for you: https://www.bandbireland.com/festivals/festivals-and-events/puck-fair

Neo-pagans, Wiccans, and modern Druids also make it a point to celebrate this festival today. Most cultures have probably had a time to give thanks for a bountiful harvest. We have Thanksgiving, which has also changed through time.

Though celebrating fall harvest the first of August seems a wee bit early to me—like going to Hobby Lobby for 4^th of July decorations and seeing autumn décor—it was important to the survival of the ancients.

If you want to have your own celebration you can bake some bread and a blueberry pie or cake. Maybe have a bonfire and family competitions while listening to Irish music. Or watch this movie, Dancing at Lughnasa starring Meryl Streep: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120643/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1 (Let me know if you watch it and what you think.)

My bread is baked. Blueberry cake sounds good. I think I’ll check out the movie since I haven’t seen it. Are you ready to do some celebrating?