A Brief History of Lammas
In Earth-based traditions, Lammas is usually celebrated on August 1, honoring the first harvest of the season. The days are starting to grow shorter, but the weather is at its peak of warmth and sunshine. These are the golden-brown summer months when the heat swelters and you kick up dust as you walk around outside. At night a gentle breeze reminds you that autumn is on the way. This is truly the beginning of shadow season. Before the Wheel turns to the darker months, we can take time to appreciate warmth and sunlight and how they support the season of growth. Gratitude in times of plenty is a powerful practice. What we reap now wasn’t always full-grown. By Honoring Lammas – The First Harvest, we acknowledge our ancestors and the hard work they had to do to survive and secure our lineage.
Lammas is also known as Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-NAS-ah). In some Wiccan and Pagan traditions, Lammas is also a day of honoring Lugh, the Celtic god of craftsmanship, grain, the Sun, and late summer storms. Lughnasadh is still celebrated in many parts of the world today. Like all Celtic or Pagan holidays, Lammas also honors goddesses whose associations, strengths, and myths align with the work we’re doing at this time of year. Ceres, the harvest goddess, known as Demeter by the Greeks, and Tailtiu, mother of Lugh, are great forces of agricultural abundance. We receive their blessings in the bounty of food that will feed us through the rest of the year.
Metaphorically, our mental, spiritual, and emotional crops are ready for the first harvest, too. If you set intentions in the darkness of winter or early spring, this is the time to see how they’ve manifested and will support you in the months to come.
Take Time to Reflect and Practice Gratitude
During the week of Lammas, take a moment to reflect on the first half of this year and what has carried over from 2021. Now is the time to make peace with the year behind us and focus on what we can harvest from our experiences.
Ask yourself: How did I connect with others? What did I create? Did I learn anything new? Did I plant intentions, and how were they different from every other year? Take time to reflect upon the seeds you planted, giving thanks for what has pushed through the soil and bloomed. It’s also essential to take an honest look at what didn’t serve and release what no longer belongs. Letting go helps you be fully present now and ready to take the next turn in your journey.
6 Ways to Honor Lammas
1. Create a Lammas Altar
This Lammas, you may feel called to create a sacred altar space to honor the first harvest. Your altar could be a simple shelf, table, or cabinet, or it might be something more elegant and elaborate. You can locate your altar inside your home or outdoors. Choose a spot that feels right for you. Incorporate items into this space such as wheat, ears of corn, sunflowers, and anything in the colors of this holiday, from green to gold and yellow to the deepest orange – every shade of the Sun and harvest.
2. Create a Harvest Jar or Container
Write down the things you’ve manifested this year and put those pieces of paper in the container. Hold a little ritual to honor everything you’ve grown, including yourself. Keep adding to this container throughout the rest of the year and look back next Lammas to see how far you’ve come.
3. Bake Bread
The most traditional Lammas practice is baking bread from the …
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