Lughnasadh/Lammas celebrations?

[Jobi1canobi]

Lughnasadh/Lammas is drawing near - was just wondering if anyone had any plans for celebrating it?

[ocailleagh]

I've not got a clue what I'm doing yet, its kinda snuck up on me this year! But it will probably involve a fair bit of baking!

[snapdragon]

mmmmmmmmmmm cake

[lsm1066]

Not sure yet. Probably hit the kitchen with a vengeance and wassail the orchard. Didn't do it last year

Lynne

[Berti]

you mean, there are more heathens on here????? *really*, who would have THOUGHT it ;) :)
(yes I know they are called pagans as I am one of these myself hehe)

berti

[barefootlinzi]

hello fellow heathens!!

i am not strictly a pagan (although i have labelled myself as that in the past) but follow my own blend of earth spirituality. tbh i forgot lammas was nearly here so i will have a think about how to celebrate it. as already said it willinvolve the kitchen!

[Berti]

a nice book (forgot to mention) I have on those festivals.....lammas, by Franklin & Mason has a lot of ideas and also some history.
those books are made by http://llewellyn.com, also available through amazon.
so far I have four of them, the other four still missing in the collection.

berti

[hedgewitch]

I always mark the pagan festivals with a fire and a feast.
The good thing about Lughnasadh is that I will have grown a good percentage of the food.

[Bluemoon]

I always mark the pagan festivals with a fire and a feast.

Us too......and for Lammas, the first of the summer wine Yey!

[mrsflibble]

I want to take Lammas as a time to make my aunt feel a bit better about most of the family calling her a freak over her conversion to Wicca; where the hell can I get a corn dolly?! I can't make the buggers (have tried a few times).
I want to send her a little orange box with a corn dolly, a packet of yeast and Stonehead's bread recipe.

[ocailleagh]

I don't think I've ever seen corn dollies for sale anywhere Mrs F, your best bet would probably be at a Lammas fair, if they have them near you. Of course, that would be too late for a Lammas gift...
Maybe you could bake a loaf shaped like one instead? Or alternatively, a phallic loaf would be just as appropriate, and well within your crafting skills from what I've seen lol.

Yet again, I realise I've left it too late to make beer for the Sabbat, I prefer it to wine for Lammas as its more seasonal/ritually appropriate, being grain based. Looks like I'll have to get a few bottles of Wychwood ale!

[Helsbells]

I am a Christian and I didnt know what Lammas is, but I looked it up, and it seems like some Christians celebrate this festival too, thanking God for the first wheat harvest.
Woo!

[ocailleagh]

Yes, Lammas was the name the Anglo-Saxons gave to the first harvest festival of the year, meaning Loaf Mass, and it was adopted by the Church. It probably hasn't been changed too much, just a different emphasis on who the thanks are given to.

I can't remember exactly what Lughnasadh means (its pronounced something like Loonsar in case you're wondering) but its in honour of the Irish God Lugh and his mother. As well as being a harvest festival, games were held too, sort of a Celtic Olympics.

[marshlander]

For Christians, Lammas Hlaf-masse/Loaf Mass was indeed the festival of first fruits based on Deuteronomy chapter 26.

I shall be collecting seedheads and making smudge sticks.
I want to make an Earth Mandala (a circular pattern on the ground made from flower heads, leaves, stones - whatever I can find)

Mrs Fibble, isn't frustrating when you want to do something but don't have the wherewithall? My grandmother made all kings of wonderful corn dollies but I never learnt how - don't know why as she taught me to sew. I was going to learn last year from a friend of a friend who is a thatcher but then I was away when he was in the area!

p.s. There's lots of info about Lammastide customs, fairs, trials of the hooks and other QI stuff here: http://www.merciangathering.com/silverw ... ghnasa.htm

[ocailleagh]

For Christians, Lammas Hlaf-masse/Loaf Mass was indeed the festival of first fruits based on Deuteronomy chapter 26.

I'm afraid I don't know the Bible that well, but I can't imagine that a festival with an Anglo-Saxon name and a date based on British agricultural cycles came from a Hebrew source. The point I was making was that the Church superimposed their harvest celebration over that of the preexisting Pagan one, as they did with most of the preexisting Pagan festivals. I'm not having a go at modern Christianity here (in case it reads that way) just clarifying the origins of the festival.