Before the advent of clocks and calendars, people were more in tune with nature’s timing; without electrical lighting they woke when the sun rose and slept when it went down, and they followed the cycles of the seasons as opposed to being a slave to the 24/7 hectic lifestyle most of us follow today.
Following the cycles of nature; eight seasonal festivals have traditionally been celebrated throughout Europe, predating Christianity. These festivals are often referred to as sabbats, a word which originates from the Greek work ‘sabatu’ meaning to rest or pause. The English word ‘sabbath’ and the Hebrew ‘shabat’ both also originate from ‘sabatu’ Four of the festivals (the solstices and equinoxes) celebrate the power of the sun and the moon at the time. The other four festivals, are Celtic in origin, and are linked more with the annual cycle of planting and harvesting of crops. Traditionally the festivals also reflect the lifecycle of the gods and goddesses throughout the year.
The Celtic festival of Lughnassadh (pronounced loo-nus-uh) is the festival of the Corn harvest. As with the other Celtic festivals it recognises nature’s cycle of life, death and rebirth. It is celebrated at the time of the year when the plants of spring wither and drop their seeds or fruit, for us to use as well as to ensure future crops. This day marked the start of the harvest cycle, when grains would be the first crop to be harvested.
Harvesting would then continue up until Samhain (approximately three months away). Even though August has some of the hottest days of the year, autumn is just around the corner, and as squirrels are collecting and storing nuts, similarly this is a time to start collecting produce, and save and preserve them for over the winter months. It is believed that the grain dying is necessary to ensure the rebirth of the land, and to give us life.
On the first day of August small loaves of bread would be baked, from the grain, and given as gifts. The resulting loaves were considered sacred by early agricultural communities, and they were offered in rituals, to give thanks for the abundance of crops throughout the year. It was thought an abundant crop would be a result of successful Beltane rituals. The theme of fertility and reproduction is still recognised in the Lughnassadh festivities to ensure the rest of the harvest is bountiful.
Lughnassadh is named after the Celtic god Lugh, a name which means ‘light’ or ‘shining’, whose light begins to dwindle as the days grow shorter and the nights grow longer. Some reports suggest Lughnassadh marks the beginning of the death of Lugh, and that the bread that is baked symbolises the body of the god, which is then eaten to nourish the living.
As with many of the Celtic festivals which predated Christianity, the church has assimilated many of these age old traditions into their own faith. The Christian thanksgiving celebrations are an example of this; where bread is blessed, becomes the body of god, and is eaten to nourish the faithful. Since medieval times Lughnassadh has also become known by its Christian name of Lammas or Loafmass.
However in an attempt to win people over from the ‘old traditional ways’ the church changed many stories around to suit their faith, and thus created confusion surrounding the origins of Lughnassadh. The story telling tradition of the Celts was mainly an oral one, and many stories were lost after Christianity became more dominant, as the worship of Celtic gods and goddesses was forbidden. However in Ireland the church did not have such a big influence until much later and many old stories were preserved. Scholars were able to translate some of the old myths as far back as twelfth century.
According to these Irish myths it is suggested the festival isn’t about Lugh’s death at all, but it actually honours Lugh’s foster mother; ‘Taillte’ or ‘Tailtiu’ who died from exhaustion after clearing a forest in order to cultivate the land. It was thought by honouring the sacrifice Talitiu made, this would ensure Lugh would not be displeased, and therefore not neglect or destroy the crops.
One practice that has survived from the harvest celebrations is the making of a ‘corn dolly’ symbolising the Earth mother, which was made from the last corn sheaf harvested. These corn dollies would be hung up over fireplaces in people’s houses. It was thought that the corn spirit lived amongst the crops and when the last grain was harvested it was effectively homeless. To preserve this spirit, corn dollies with hollow insides were made for the spirit to sleep in through the winter. They would rest in the dolly until they were ploughed into the first furrow of the new season.
Other traditional Lughnassadh celebrations include a party or a dance known as the ‘Harvest home’. This celebration was portrayed in Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel ‘Far from the Madding crowd’. Markets and fairs where people could sell their produce, and get together with friends and family, was also a big part of the harvest celebrations.
Lughnassadh was considered a good time of year for handfastings: where trial marriages could be entered into for a year and a day. Young couples would simply join hands through a holed stone, sometimes having their hands tied together, and a year later they could either choose to renew their vows, or stand back to back and walk away from the marriage.
In the modern world many of us live our lives at a great speed; we stay awake after dark, and we eat foods not in season. It could be said we have become out of balance with the natural rhythms of the earth. There is no need nowadays to be aware of the rising and setting times of the sun. However it can be argued that sowing, growing, harvesting, and resting, is just as important for our ‘selves’ as it is for the earth. Lughnassadh is the celebration of the harvest: the gods/goddesses of the harvest are in their prime, but are beginning to wane and know they will die, but as they always do they will return with great vigour in the summer next year. The old Celtic festivals recognise and celebrate life death and rebirth, not only in the life of gods and goddesses and the agricultural year, but also in our own lives.
If you found this article interesting then scroll down through Jax writer’s spot for: “The wheel of the year. Forgotten festivals in a modern world” posted on Wednesday January 7th, an article on Imbolc , Wednesday February the 18th, and “Hurray, hurray, it’s the first of May, Outdoor mating starts today. The celebration of Beltane” posted on Wednesday April 29th.
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