Lughnasadh - February 2/August 1
(Please note that this is heavily quoted due to it starting out as a personal reference rather than a resource for others, this is the only one in the series I didn't primarily write.)
A celebration of the first harvest and the Celtic craft god Lugh, also known as Lammas.
"The word 'Lammas' is derived from 'loaf mass' and is indicative of how central and honoured is the first grain and the first loaf of the harvesting cycle."
When Hades fell in love with Persephone and brought her to the underworld, her mother--Demeter, goddess of the harvest--refused to let anything grow until she had her daughter back. Zeus send Hermes to retrieve Persephone but before she left Hades fed her a pomegranate seed that makes her return to the underworld half the year. When Persephone leaves to the underworld Demeter stops growing things, when Persephone returns so does Spring.
Lugh came to be associated with grain in Celtic mythology after he held a harvest fair in honour of his foster mother, Tailtiu. This day became August 1, and that date ties in with the first grain harvest in agricultural societies in the Northern Hemisphere.
Sickles and scythes, as well as other symbols of the harvesting season
Dried grains, such as sheaves of wheat, bowls of oats, etc.
Corn dolls, which you can make easily using dried husks
Early Autumn vegetables, such as squashes and pumpkins, to represent the harvest, as well as abundance.
Late Summer fruits, like apples, plums and peaches, to celebrate the end of the summer harvest as we transition into Autumn.
Due to it's correlation with Lugh, the god of craftmanship, this time of year includes a lot of handmade gifts and learning new talents and creating. Feasting, market fairs, circle dancing, games and bonfire celebrations were the order of the day.
Make your own Grain Mother or Corn Dolly. Go for a walk and see what you can find - stalks of wheat, oats, barley, rye often left growing on the edges of fields after harvesting, failing that any grasses and/or reeds you can find. Let your creativity out - if you feel confident, weave your Grain Mother into being, but equally you can just lace and tie her into being with Lammas coloured ribbons. As you do so, give thanks for the gifts of Harvest. Place your Grain Mother on your altar or at the centre of celebrations. At Samhain, return the grain stalks to the earth, they contain the seeds of future harvest.
Baking bread is also traditional, the wheat would be harvested in the morning, then the bread would be baked and shared about the community.
https://spheresoflight.com.au/SOL/sabbat-dates/
https://www.goddessandgreenman.co.uk/lammas
https://www.learnreligions.com/lugh-master-of-skills-2561970
https://www.learnreligions.com/history-of-the-lammas-harvest-celebration-2562170
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