Lugnasadh is coming up at the beginning of August. Lugnasadh (loo nas a) is a
mystical Celtic feast and celebration of the ripening the grain and the weaning of calves
and lambs, which marks the beginning of Harvest Time. The harvest was hugely
important in ancient times. It ended the period of trying to ration out last year’s stored
grain and provided a new stock for the coming dark seasons, and meant fresh fruit and
vegetables for the table, and often the difference between feast and famine. It was also a
time to honor one of Ireland’s great mythical heroes, Lug Lamfhota (and his foster
mother).
You may have seen the sad and lovely play, or the movie, of Dancing at Lugnasa
(1990) which tells a bittersweet tale of love and dreams and hard times in the Ireland of
the 1930s, with the festival of Lugnasadh as a background. This festival is indeed a rich
part of Irish tradition.
Lughasadh one of the four great Celtic festivals marking the change of seasons,
and is the first day of Celtic Autumn. The other Cross-Quarter Days are Imbolc
(Candelmas), February 2 (Spring). Beltane, April 30 (Summer) and Samhain or
Hallowe’en, October 31 (Winter). Another traditional name for the holiday, Lammas,
comes from the early Christians in Ireland, who baked bread from the first grain and
called the day Loaf Mass, that, is, Lammas, or Lammastide. The Celtic Day began at
sunset, so Lugnasadh actually begins on the evening of our July 31.