Lughnasadh

Lughnasadh (also known as Lammas) is an ancient Celtic festival held in celebration of the first fruits
of the harvest. This Celtic harvest festival derives its name from the Irish god Lugh. This festival is
widely celebrated on the first day of August (1st August). It is also arguably said to be celebrated on
the first day of February in the Southern Hemisphere. Lammas is widely referred to as a pagan
festival (BBC, 2011; Dupree, Undated). According to the BBC, It is one of the pagan festivals which
split the year into four.
The Celts held this festival in honour of the god Lugh who is also believed to have initiated the
festival (Freeman, 1998; Dupree, Undated). According to ancient mythology, Lugh begun the festival
in commemoration of his foster mother (Tailtiu) as a funeral feast and sporting competition. This
might be the reason this feast is linked to the origin of the Olympics by some. The myth has it that
Tailtiu died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture (Mcneil, 1959). Some
versions of the myth posit that Tailtiu was under obligation to clear the vast forest after defeat of
her people by the Tuatha De Dannan (Dupre, Undated). According to Freeman (1998), Tailtiu
herself requested the festival be held in her honour at her death bed. She also prophesied that as
long as the festival was held, Ireland will not be without a song.
Since Lughnasadh is a celebration of the new harvest, people cook special ritual and festive meals.
This custom is still practised to that and some of the recipes can be found online by searching for the
term Lughnasadh Recipes.
The modern significance of this festival can be seen in the way it has influence certain customs and
practices. As an example, the people of Ireland continue to celebrate the holiday with bonfires and
dancing. The Catholic Church in Ireland has however established the ritual of blessing fields instead
on the said date (Mcneil, 1959). Also, many Irish in diaspora still choose August as the traditional
time for family re-unions even though they dont formally celebrate the festival. The modern Irish
Gaelic name for the month of August is Lnasa (Eilthireach, Undated) as influenced by the festival.
Similarly, in Scottish Gaelic Lunasda means the 1st of August (Eilthireach, Undated).
In summary, Lughnasadh may have begun as a myth but it still influences modern day cultures and
practises. Even though there is a religious and pagan dimension to the celebration, it can still serve
secular purposes.

UNORDERED REFERENCES
BBC, 2011 http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/holydays/lughnasadh.shtml
Dupre, K. Undated http://www.leyline.org/cra/articles/lughnasadh.html
Freeman, M, 1998 http://www.chalicecentre.net/lughnasadh.htm
McNeill, F. Marian (1959) The Silver Bough, Vol. 2. William MacLellan, Glasgow ISBN 0-85335-162-7
pp.94-101
Eilthireach, Undated http://www.druidry.org/druid-way/teaching-and-practice/druidfestivals/lughnasadh/deeper-lughnasadh