Today is Lughnasadh (also known as Lammas) the first of three harvest festivals celebrated in many modern Pagan traditions. Lughnasadh originated as one of the four main Celtic fire festivals and was dedicated to the Celtic god Lugh/Lugus the many-skilled (or, in the case of Ireland, Lugh’s foster-mother Tailtiu). It is a time of thanksgiving, first-harvests, and the end of summer.

Here are some quotes for the holiday.

“It is a season of endings and completion, a point between the free and easy times of summer, and the restrictions of winter. The first harvest brings the awareness of the coming winter. Bonfires are lit. Grain dollies made from sheaves of wheat are popular, too. Streamers are woven with the fall colors of red and orange, and hung on poles … So make a toast to the passing of summer. Celebrate a happy Lammas with family and friends, then begin the work to stock the shelves for the long winter ahead.” – Terry Smith, The Town Talk, Louisiana

“I think Lammas is a particularly fitting time where we, like the earth, can give of our own fruitfulness in whatever way it seems best to us. And since Yule is when we give to other people, perhaps this is the time when we most appropriately give to the earth which sustains us, and which receives so very little in return. I am speaking of giving out of our abundance, not of sacrifice done simply from a sense of duty. Sacrifice with an “I want” motive rather than an “I should” one. What service, what gift, can you give to the earth itself this Lammas or thereabouts? I think it need not be big, but I think it needs to be meaningful.” – Gus diZerega, Beliefnet

“Not that anyone needs an excuse but Lammas is a great opportunity for everyone to seek out and enjoy locally produced Real Bread. It’s also a chance for kids to find out that Real Bread starts its life in a field not a factory. Taking its name from the Old English for loaf mass, this ancient harvest festival’s traditional highlight was eating bread baked with autumn’s first grain.” – Local Loaves for Lammas, Real Bread Campaign

“I think what I like best about Lughnasadh is the many names for the festival. The beginning of the harvest is celebrated the world over and it’s an exciting time. Berries are ripe on the vine and the fields of grain are ready to be gathered in. By Mabon we’ll have apples and as Samhain approaches we’ll be eagerly anticipating that first hard frost so we can harvest our winter greens.” – Star Foster, Patheos.com

“Lugh honored his foster mother by deeming that her full life of service, and not her death, be celebrated by games. Playing to commemorate the fullness of life and all of the fruits that it holds seem appropriate to me! It is a time of relaxation and reflection on the sacrifices that have been made so that we will enjoy the bounty that the hard work of living our lives will bring. Lughnasadh is but a moment in the year when we can sit back on a warm summer evening with lemonade in one hand and a fresh peach in the other, enjoy the bounty and fullness of life being well lived and enjoyed, put our heads back and, with a grateful heart, yell out ‘THANK YOU….LIFE IS GOOD!’” – Morbek, Witchvox

…this past week has me thinking of Lugh, whom this upcoming holiday is often named for: Lughnasad. I’m thinking of all the gifts he brought to bear in the world, and his solid ownership of these. Stories tell us that Lugh knocked on the door of the great feast at Tara and was refused entry, over and over, for skill after skill – they already had a smith, a poet, a warrior, a person who did this thing or that, so they had no need of Lugh – until finally he said, “But do you have someone who can do all of these?” The answer was no. The door was opened … Let us honor our brother Lugh, who never gave up despite the hardships he faced. Let us honor him by standing with pride and stating, “I am all of these things and more. I am the Bright One. Let me in. I deserve a place at the table” – T. Thorn Coyle

May you have a fruitful holiday!

Tags: Festival, Harvest, Lammas, Lugh, Lughnasadh, Paganism