Lammas celebration

As the wheel of the year keeps turning so the time for Lammas has come. It is also called Lughnasadh. With it we are welcoming the Harvest. The days are long and sunny and everything is at it's full peek. In some traditions this holiday is celebrated in a way to honor the god Lugh.

  

                  - Lugh

Lugh

Lugh is a god from Irish mythology. He is a warrior,a king and a hero. Lugh is often associated with art and crafts and is know as a sun god, a storm god and a sky god. Lammas is named after him. Although Lugh gives his name to this festival, it is also associated with Lugh's foster mother Tailtiu.

To learn more about this Celetic god,you can find lots of information here.

Magick,rituals and Lammas activity

With this holiday,  harvest is approaching and it is a messenger that the hot days shall come to an end. This is the time for magick around the home. You can use sunflowers,vervian, honey and bread in your spells.
It is a good time for protective spells.It's a time for bread-making and corn-dollies. Goddesses celebrated around this time include Demeter and Ceres. This could be a good idea if you are celebrating with younger generations and introducing them to magick.
As you do it you can recall all the things you harvested this year. Colors associated with Lammas are golds, yellows and orange for the God and red for the Goddess as mother. The celebration of Lughnasadh includes the ritual cutting of the first grain and an offering thereof, possibly the making of a first meal and the ritual eating of it, as well as dancing

 Lammas folklore

• The festival of Onam is celebrated in India, and people dress up in their finest clothes and give food to the poor. Onam is celebrated in honor of King Mahabali, who was a ruler of Kerala. In one story, the god Vishnu approached Mahabali dressed as a beggar, and asked for land, which Mahabali gave him. Mahabli ended up buried under the earth by Vishnu, but was allowed to return once a year, symbolizing the planting of the seed and the subsequent harvest.

•  Thor's wife, Sif, had beautiful golden hair, until Loki the prankster cut it off. Thor was so upset he wanted to kill Loki, but some dwarves spun new hair for Sif, which grew magically as soon as it touched her head. The hair of Sif is associated with the harvest, and the golden grain that grows every year.

•  At Lughnasadh, calves are weaned, and the first fruits are ripe, such as apples and grapes. In some Irish counties, it was believed farmers had to wait until Lughnasadh to start picking these fruits, or bad luck would befall the community.

•  It's become a custom to give people the gift of a pair of gloves at Lammastide. In part, it's because winter is just around the corner, but it's also related to an old tradition in which landowners gave their tenants a pair of gloves after the harvest. The glove is a symbol of authority and benevolence.

  

- "Lammas", from the old-anglosaxon "hlaef-mass" (loaf mass, mass where the first loaf of bread is consecrated),

The God of the harvest is the Green Man (also known as John Barleycorn). He sacrifices himself every year in order to enable human life on Earth.

Feast

The Celts celebrate this festival from sunset August 1 until sunset August. Like all holidays, Lammas calls for a feast. Here are some recipes you may find useful. 
 
Lammas Loaf

1 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening

Preheat oven to 220C.  Sift flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder in large bowl.  Blend in eggs, milk, and shortening.  Beat the combined mixture as you chant:

                        The Earth Mother grants us the grain,
                        The Horned God goes to dark domain.
                        By giving life into Her grain,
                        The God dies, then is born again.

Pour mixture into greased corn cob molds for cornbread sticks, or into greased or lined cupcake pan.  Mixture can also be baked in a square pan, then sliced when cooled.  Bake 20-35 minutes until top no longer indents when touched.

Beef Barley Soup

2 quarts water
soup bone with the meat on
1/2 cup celery tops
1TBSP salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 cup uncooked barley
3 cups coursely chopped cabbage
1 cup sliced celery
2 cups sliced parsnips
2 cups thinly slice onions
1 can 12 oz tomato paste

Combine water, bone and celery tops
Bring to boil and cover lightly.  Simmer for 2 hours
Remove bone and chop meat
Stir in barley and chopped meat. Cook 30 minutes
Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes or until veggies are tender

 Corn Bread

2 eggs
2 cups buttermilk
3 tbsp shortening melted
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups cornmeal
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda

Beat eggs, add buttermilk and melted shortening mix well
mix dry ingredients add to egg mixture
beat until smooth pour into greased pan\bake at 375 about 25 minutes serve hot

If you are interested in Lammas ritual you can check it out in a video below

 

Greetings to all and happy Lughnasadh!!

   ✌️ Morela