Lughnasadh is named for Lugh (pronounced "Loo"), the Irish Sun God. Within Celtic traditions, the masculine principle is sustained through the cycle of birth, death, and re-birth, while the feminine principle holds immortality. The Triple Goddess goes through the metamorphosis of Maiden, Mother, and Crone because of her maternal longing to create and sustain life. The Goddess sustains the God by never allowing Him to reach old age. In the cycle, she is the Mother who gives him birth, the Crone who teaches him, and the Maiden who becomes his lover. This is not an act of incest as many people chose to see, but rather symbolic of the shifting seasons and transformations we all take on during our life. From the unison of God and Maiden Goddess, comes Tanist, the God’s other self.
At Lughnasadh, the Maiden Goddess "betrays" the God and gives herself to the son, Tanist, who is the God of the dark half of the year. No, this is not like the God of Good and the God of Evil, rather a division of the years daylight patterns: one God for the lengthening daylight, and Tanist for the half of waning daylight. With the Maiden Goddess, Tanist will sow the seed of rebirth at Lughnasadh, that allows the God to be reborn again at Yule. Lugh, the God of the Light half of the year is not killed, but rather the ability to grow is taken from him. In ancient times the stolen growth aspect was symbolized through the maiming of the king. The king was tied to an oak tree by his hair with one foot on a cauldron and the other lashed to the back of a horse or sow (both which are representative of the southern quarter and symbolic of the Goddess). The horse or sow was sent from under him, causing a tear through the genital region and destroying his fertility but not his life. His life was not taken until just before Samhain when Tanist began his reign.
The seeming betrayal is not out of hate or disgust but rather out of the love the Goddess has for the God. The Goddess will give rebirth to the God at Yule and he will rise to slay his rival at Beltain. This battle of light and dark keeps the seasons in balance, as well as the cycle of birth, death, and re-birth.
Lughnasadh resides in the month of the Barley Moon. At Lughnasadh, the Wiccan rendition of the Wheel of the Year, portrays a mysterious weakening in the God (which is associated primarily with the Sun). The Sun rises further to the South each day and the daylight shortens. The Goddess watches in sorrow, realizing Her mate is dying, but is also joyful in the knowledge that he grows in her womb to be reborn as Her child. The Wiccan Goddess retains the Trinity aspect of Maiden, Mother, Crone, but there is no Tanist to present a rivalry for the God, nor any betrayal of love for the Goddess to commit. The Mother gives birth to the God, the Crone teaches him, and the Maiden becomes His lover and He becomes His own father. When He dwindles and dies, He is reborn at Yule, when the sun starts to grow in strength again, and daylight lengthens once more.
Colors: Red, Orange, Yellow, Gold, Green, Light Brown, and Gray.
Animals: Roosters, Calves, and Pigs (sows in particular)
Mythical Creatures: Griffins, Basilisks, Centaurs, and Phoenix
Stones: Yellow Diamonds, Aventurine, Peridot, Citrine, and Sardonyx
Plants: Corn, Rice, Wheat, Rye, and Ginseng
Deities: Ceres,
Damia, Freya, Ishtar, Kornjunfer, Marcia, Morgayne, Persephone,
Tailltiu, Tuaret, Aine, Ashnan, Carmen, Chicomecoatl, Demeter,
Taillte, Tea, Uti Hiati, Branwen, Bes, Dagon, Llew, Neper, Zochipilli,
Athtar
Bran, Lugh, Odin
Foods: Beef, Broccoli, Cherries, Spinach, any type of early berry, Corn, Potatoes, Homemade Bread (particularly wheat, oat, and especially corn bread), Berry Pies, Barley Cakes, Nuts, Apples, Rice, Roast Lamb, Acorns, Crab Apples, Summer Squash, Turnips, Oats, and all Grains. Click here for awesome Lughnasadh Recipes!
Drinks: Elderberry Wine, Mead, Ale, Meadowsweet Tea, and Cider
In Irish Gaelic, Lammas was referred to as 'Lughnasadh', a feast to commemorate
the funeral games of the Irish sun god Lugh. However, it is not Lugh's death
that is being celebrated, but the funeral games which Lugh hosted to commemorate
the death of his foster mother, Taillte. That is why the Lughnasadh celebrations
in Ireland are often called the 'Tailltean Games'.
One common feature of the Games were the 'Tailltean Marriages', a rather
informal marriage that lasted for only 'a year and a day' or until next Lammas.
At that time, the couple could decide to continue the arrangement if it pleased
them, or to stand back to back and walk away from one another, thus bringing the
Tailltean marriage to a formal close.
Such trial marriages (obviously related to the Wiccan 'Handfasting') were quite
common even into the 1500's, although it was something one 'didn't bother the
parish priest about'. Indeed, such ceremonies were usually solemnized by a poet,
bard, or priest or priestess of the Old Religion.
Catherine
Wheel
A ceremonial highlight of Lammas festivals was the 'Catherine Wheel'. Although
the Roman Church moved St. Catherine's feast day all around the calendar with
bewildering frequency, it's most popular date was Lammas.
(They also kept trying to expel this much-loved saint from the ranks of the
blessed because she was mythical rather than historical, and because her worship
gave rise to the heretical sect known as the Cathari.)
At any rate, a large wagon wheel was taken to the top of a near-by hill, covered
with tar, set aflame, and ceremoniously rolled down the hill.
Some mythologists see in this ritual the remnants of a Pagan rite symbolizing
the end of summer, the flaming disk representing the sun god in his decline. And
just as the sun king has now reached the autumn of his years, his rival or dark
self has just reached puberty.
Elemental
Importance of Bread
Freshly baked bread is still a central part of many Lammas celebrations.
It is not just the wheat that is important. Bread is elemental. Earth, air,
fire, and water combine in a substance that has nourished people for time out of
mind.
Bread combines seeds from the earth (flour), with water, the substance that
makes up most of our being. Add in salt, the purifier, and yeast, the sacred
changer of the gods, the secret, airborne traveler who changes rotten grapes,
into wine.
Mix all of these together, kneading the dough to shape and form. Finally, add
fire to bake.
Suddenly, from those four ancient, basic elements, you have bread. It is no
wonder it is called the staff of life!
Lughnasadh
Feast
of Lugh
Lughnasadh honors the Celtic Solar God Lugh and may also have some association
with the Roman Moon Goddess, Luna. Lugh was a God of harvest, fire, light and
sun. He was King of the Tuatha De Danaan and the consort of Dana, the first
Great Mother Goddess of Ireland. Dana, as Lugh's Queen and Mother Goddess, is
also honored on this Sabbat.
Lugh's sacrificial death and rebirth as a sheaf of grain at Lughnasadh is often
re-enacted on Lammas, symbolizing that even a God must eventually bow down to
his Goddess through whose benevolence he is reborn.
Lughnasadh
celebrates the triumph of Lugh over his archrival Balor. In one legend (and
there are many of them), Balor was a Sun god, and, after his defeat, he
descended into the underworld to heal. This is the reason that the days have
begun to visibly wane at this time.
Lammas
Feast
of Bread
Lammas is also known as The Feast of Bread, at which the first of the grain
harvest is consumed in ritual loaves.
The Christian religion adopted this theme and called it 'Lammas ', meaning
'loaf-mass '
a time when newly baked loaves of bread are placed on the altar.
For most of the Western Hemisphere, the beginning of August is the earliest one
can reasonably expect to begin harvest of the spring wheat (as opposed to winter
wheat, a relatively new agricultural breakthrough). One of the old traditions
for Lughnasadh was that the King of Tara hosted a feast containing one product
of the land from each province of his kingdom. This not only showed that his
reign was prosperous, but also his thanksgiving for the upcoming harvest. This
is a festival giving thanks for the goodness we are about to receive.
As part of this thanksgiving, process, the first sheaves of ripe grain were
hand-ground and baked into a loaf of bread and shared by all members of the
community. The loaves were shaped into forms symbolizing things like the God of
Harvest, the Goddess, the wheel of the year, or simply round, with the shape of
a stalk or sheaf of wheat etched into the top. We continue this process today,
although not necessarily with the first sheaves of harvest. Freshly baked bread
is still a central part of many Lammas celebrations.
