Lughnasadh, Lunassa (*Festival of Lugh*)

The Autumn festival on July 31. It is a Gaelic word, the name of the month of August, and is pronounced *LOO-na-sa*.

Lughnasadh is also known as Lammas and it is a Wiccan festival, which is celebrated on the eve of August 1. This is the time when there is ripeness and of fruitfulness. At this time, you will be able to see the gardens full of produce and the first grains will be ready to be harvested. At this time, the Wiccans give thanks by giving gifts to the divine.

At this particular time, not only do the Wiccans celebrate the plentiful harvest of the Earth’s Mother but the fruit of their own labor. They honor their skills, their strength, and their vision which allows them to produce an abundant harvest for themselves and their families, and the community at large. The word Lughnasadh when broken down mean a holy day. The Wiccan Sabbat of Lughnasadh is celebrated to honor the gifts of the sun as well as the labor of the participants.

There is an increase in the pace of life on Earth for everyone. Even though the pace is fast, it is important to make sure that they give thanks for the many gifts which they receive during the harvest. They believe that the blessings are immeasurably coming from all over and they need to stop and give thanks once in a while. Things are available which were never available during their ancestors time.

This is an important day for pagans and Wiccans, those people who live off the land including Christians. As a staple food, grains have always provided for families for time immemorial and have always meant the difference between a slow death or healthy winter.

For Christians, Lughnasadh marked the day when they brought in their first loaves to the church which were at times used for the offering of the sacrament and the church blessed the Lughnasadh day’s fields. For pagans, the celebration included thanking the earth goddess and the grain god through weaving and feasting icons out of the corn stalks, cornucopia or dollies.

Lughnasadh is one of the Wiccan festivals which is forgotten as it is least honored of them all. Due to industrialization, the harvest celebrations have become a thing of the past. Not all the bread come from the lands, nor from the kindness of the corn god and goddess of the earth; most of it is found in plastic bags in supermarkets all over the place.

The holiday of Lughnasadh could be the best holiday to be rediscovered by Wiccans

Tools Need For The Celebration

• Apple cider
• Golden yellow center cloth
• Cauldron
• 1 gold candle
• Cornbread cupcakes
• 1 silver candle
• Golden stones or other sun symbols
• Summer blend incense
• Harvest vegetables

The area is swept in a Deosil manner and the perimeter is outlined using the yellow sand. The gold center cloth is placed on the altar and garnishes with harvest vegetable, grains, and fruits on the altar. The golden candle is set to the top right center and surrounded with gold stones or sun symbols. The silver goddess candle is then placed at the top left of the center.

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