Happy Lughnasadh! Lughnasadh (pronounced “loo-na-sa") is the beginning of the harvest season and is celebrated on August 1st. It is one of four Gaelic festivals (hence the word being pronounced nowhere near what it looks like in English) that correspond with the seasons. It has pagan origins and is mostly celebrated by pagans in the United States. The holiday is named for the Irish god Lugh, the god of crafting and blacksmithing. As a result, some spend the holiday doing some crafting!
History of Lughnasadh
According to mythology, the holiday was begun by Lugh as a funeral game after the death of an Earth goddess. Funeral games, if you've never heard of them, were competitions held in honor of a recently deceased person. Evidence of them has been found on ancient vases, with two famous ones on display in Italy and Germany.
In medieval times, the holiday was celebrated competitively. Some literature shows kings attending a festival called Áenach Tailten that was like the Olympics, where truces were declared, and athletes competed.
How Does One Celebrate Lughnasadh?
Baking bread or other treats as thanks for the bounty! Bread is popular, since the holiday is celebrating the harvest and wheat is one of the many items that would have been harvested. Others pick bouquets or create with things they have grown.
Modern day pagans will decorate their altars with items that represent the season, like corn dolls they might have made, the bouquets they’ve picked, or other such seasonal items.
Another way to celebrate is to set an intention. Since Lughnasadh is halfway between the end of Summer and the start of Autumn (the growing season), many take this time to reflect on something they would like to grow, be that a personal goal, or a skill or habit.
There Are Four Gaelic Holidays, You Say?
There are! You now know about Lughnasadh. The others are:
Samhain (pronounced sow-in) is the celebration of the end of the harvest season. It is celebrated on Nov. 1st, but you’ve likely heard of this celebration in relation to Halloween. That’s because the Celtic day started at sunset of the day prior; it would have been celebrated from sunset on Oct. 31st to sunset on Nov. 1st.
Imbolc (pronounced imm-bulk) is the midway point between the start of winter and the beginning of spring, so it is a celebration of spring. Since last year, it has been a public holiday in Ireland.
Beltane is a trickier one. It is traditionally spelled Bealtaine and pronounced bee-all-tin-uh. Many pagans in the states learn the anglicized spelling and pronunciation bell-tane, so you might see it and hear it both ways! Regardless of spelling, this holiday marks the beginning of summer. It is traditionally held on May 1, or about midway between the spring equinox and summer solstice.
Want to learn more about pagan holidays and rituals?
The Big Book of Pagan Prayer and Ritual
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