Lughnasadh, Lúnastal, Lammas: Summer Harvest Holidays of Ireland & Britain
by Keziah Zibelmann | Support on Ko-fi
August is nearly upon us, bringing with it a time traditionally marking the beginning of summer’s end. With roots in ancient Ireland and Britain, Lughnasadh, Lúnastal, and Lammas, traditional harvest festivals, are kept alive by modern Celtic druids and pagans, Christians, and modern-day practitioners of Celtic folk traditions, Celtic folk magic, wiccans, and neo-pagans around the world.
If you’re a witch, pagan, or Celtic-focused and/or Anglo-Saxon focus historian on the internet, chances are you’ve heard mention of at least one of these holidays. You may have asked yourself, ‘why are there so many names for holidays with such similar, if not identical, customs?’ and ‘are they actually different at all, or are they all just the same holiday with different names?’ Let us explore these three harvest festivals, their commonalities, and the local traditions and histories that set them apart from one another.
The Harvest Holidays: an Introduction
LUGHNASADH
‘Lúgnasad: i.e. a commemorating game or fair, thereto is the name nasad; i.e. a festival or game of Lugh mac Ethne or Ethlenn, which was celebrated by him in the beginning of autumn.’ -Sanas Cormaic (Coram’s Glossary, English translation).
Lúnasa (the festival's name in Modern Irish) finds its origins in ancient Ireland. Its name comes from Old Irish — Lug, for the Irish god Lugh; and násad, meaning an assembly or a gathering. It is believed that Lugh himself brought the holiday to the Irish, with lore stating that the festival was started as a commemorative holiday in honor of Lugh’s foster mother, whom we will delve into shortly.
The festival is mentioned throughout early Irish literature and has pre-Christian, pagan origins.
Lughnasadh/Lúnasa is also known as Garland Sunday, Bilberry Sunday, and Domnach Chrom Dubh or Crom Dubh’s Sunday. Though Lughnasadh’s origins are in Ireland, the holiday was also practiced in parts of Scotland and on the Isle of Man. Celebrations of Lughnasadh still take place throughout Ireland today, though the holiday is not as widely practiced as it was up until the 20th century.
Lughnasadh falls between the Summer Solstice and the Autumnal Equinox, traditionally celebrated on the 1st or 2nd of August in the Northern Hemisphere (the 1st of February in the Southern Hemisphere), though some practitioners celebrate the holiday on the last Sunday in July, the first Sunday in August, or even acknowledge the festival from the first of August throughout the entirety of the month.
According to Maire MacNeill - Irish folklorist, translator, journalist, and renowned scholar on the festival of Lughnasadh, the holiday would have entailed -
'A solemn cutting of the first of the corn [meaning 'grain'] of which an offering would be made to the deity by bringing it up to a high place and burying it; a meal of the new food and of bilberries of which everyone must partake; a sacrifice of a sacred bull, a feast of its flesh, with some ceremony involving its hide, and its replacement by a young bull; a ritual dance-play perhaps telling of a struggle for a goddess and a ritual fight; an installation of a head [meaning a carved stone] on top of the hill and a triumphing over it by an actor impersonating Lugh; another play representing the confinement by Lugh of the monster blight or famine; a three-day celebration presided over by the brilliant young god [Lugh] or his human representative. Finally, a ceremony indicating that the interregnum was over, and the chief god in his right place again.'
Lugh
Lugh (Lug / Luga / Lú) is one of the great heroes of Irish mythology and one of the most prominent Irish gods. Lugh was an exceptionally skilled craftsman, bard, storyteller, warrior, and natural leader; and as he was a man of many talents, he was, too, a god of many things – oaths, justice, kingship, arts, crafts and skills, trade, agriculture, and harvests, to name a few.
There are varying stories as to how Lughnasadh came to be, but one common factor they all feature is that Lugh himself is the founder of the festival. One of the most common versions of the tale recounts the creation of the festival in tribute to Lugh's foster-mother (or mother, by some accounts), the goddess Tailtiu.
Tailtiu
Tailtiu, an Irish earth goddess, cleared the plains and fields of Ireland so that the people could plant and grow their own food. However, the work was exhausting and Tailtiu gave her life to complete it, wearing herself down to the point of death. It is said that as she died, she requested her funeral to be a great event. Some accounts even say that she hoped her funeral would never end. This is why it's said that Lugh created Lughnasadh, a yearly tribute to the memory of the woman who raised him.
Crom Dubh
Another common version of Lughnasadh's origin story tells of a struggle between two gods — Lugh and Crom Dubh (also called Crum Dubh and Dark Crom; generally accepted to bear association with Crom Cruach).
In this version of events, Crom Dubh keeps all of Ireland's grain for himself, while Lugh seeks to seize it and distribute it amongst the people of Ireland. Some accounts also feature a goddess representing the grain — Eithne — as having been kidnapped and held captive by Crom Dubh.
LAMMASTIDE
Lammas is likely the most well-known of these three harvest holidays. As to whether its origins are pre-Christian and later Christianized (with pagan influence and history deliberately erased from origin stories) or its origins are Christian and later embraced by neo-pagans and wiccans, that is hotly debated. Regardless, Lammas is a traditional English harvest holiday with Anglo-Saxon roots, and it is still celebrated to this day.
Lammastide is also known as Lammas Day, Lammas, Hlámmaesse and Loaf Mass Day, and, like Lughnasadh, is generally celebrated on the 1st of August. The word lammas is believed to be of Anglo-Saxon origin, hailing from “hlaf-mass” or some variation thereof — “hlaf” meaning loaf. It originated as a harvest festival, a celebration of the bounty provided by the first cutting of grain that year.
It's been speculated by some scholars that Lammas, which was largely practiced throughout England, was a product of Lughnasadh, brought to England from Irish visitors or migrants. That being said, Lammas is generally considered an Anglo-Saxon festival bearing significant Nordic influence.
In England, the first sheaves of wheat were cut on or around the 1st of August, and the first loaves of bread were baked in every household. According to sources of the opinion that Lammastide pre-dates the Christianization of the holiday, an original pre-Christian custom would have seen the first loaves set aside as an offering, likely to land spirits or possibly a local deity, at the harvest festival. Another common practice was to cut the loaves into fourths and place a portion of the bread in the four corners of one’s home.
If Lammas was, indeed, a pre-Christian holiday (as many scholars and historians on the matter deem highly likely), it is difficult to say what gods may have been originally associated with the festival. Nowadays, it isn’t uncommon to see modern pagan practitioners honoring Lugh. It is also possible that the Gaulish god Lugus, who is generally thought to be an interpretation of Lugh, was worshipped and honored. If there were Anglo-specific or Anglo-Saxon deities once attached specifically to Lammas, it's not known for certain who they would have been, as the Christian Church would have actively worked to remove non-Christian deific associations, if there were any, from many pagan and pre-Christian holidays and practices.
In the Christian celebration of Lammastide, the day is still a harvest holiday, marking the celebration of the first fruits, and a day on which harvests, bakeries, and bakers are blessed. The holiday was traditionally associated with St. Peter in Chains, on whose feast day Lammas fell, though it's also come to be associated with St. Alphonse Liguori.
LÙNASTAL
Lúnastal — also referred to as Lunasa, and Lammas Day — is a Scottish celebration of harvest and is generally accepted as the same holiday as Lughnasadh, though it has its own distinctly Scottish customs and practices.
As with Lughnasadh, Lùnastal is a harvest festival, a celebration of the god Lugh, and a tribute to Tailtiu. The hard work of the harvest was countered with plenty of festivities, including feasting, sporting games, racing, bonfires, and dancing. Rites were performed as well, varying in kind from place to place.
Scotland’s main harvest at this time was wheat and oats, which would provide essential food and supplies to last throughout the winter for both the people and their cattle. Fruits, seeds, vegetables, and roots would be gathered from the land as well, as Lùnastal signified the coming of autumn and the last few months of prime time for gathering many of the plants on offer.
Dolls were also fashioned from the wheat harvested from the first field. There is a bit of to-do about these dolls, and we’ll revisit them later in this piece (spoiler alert, it’s like a game of hot potato and has to do with the Cailleach).
‘Are Lughnasadh, Lùnastal, and Lammas actually different at all, or are they all just the same holiday with different names?’ The best way to answer this would be to say that they can be seen as family of holidays that share the same roots. They do, indeed, have a great deal in common, so much that it would be a logical assumption that they are variations of the same holiday. However, as noted before, Lammas is generally accepted as an Anglo-Saxon holiday of Nordic influence, while Lughnasadh and Lùnastal are Gaelic (which is commonly used to refer to that specific Celtic ethnolinguistic group — and the culture of the people within that group — of Ireland, the Isle of Man, and Scotland).
Each of these holidays is also rich with the culture of the lands they were practiced in, and they have their own rites and customs that set them apart from one another beautifully. So, yes, while Lughnasadh, Lammas, & Lùnastal share many of the same practices and similar histories, they each also have a distinct flavor of their own, shaped by the lands in which they were (and still are) historically practiced.
Common Customs & Practices of Lughnasadh, Lammas, & Lunastal
HARVEST & THE FIRST TAKE
Wheat, oats, barley, and rye would be harvested at this time of year, all crucial in providing food for the people and livestock throughout the winter. It was also the time of year for gathering bilberries/blaeberries, raspberries, and other berries and plants from the land.
Lughnasadh:
The first take of the wheat and grain harvest would either be set aside and offered as-is to the god Lugh or to local spirits or the Good Neighbours, or it would be used to prepare a food offering or a celebratory meal to partake in together, most commonly bread or porridge.
Lùnastal:
Having a similar custom as Lughnasadh, in which a portion of the first take of the crops would be set aside for another use, Lùnastal saw the crops reaped in the morning, with the first take being prepared later as food in the evening.
Lammas:
The first take of the wheat or grain harvest was to be ground into flour, which was then used to bake a loaf of bread.
One practice involved taking the household’s first loaf of bread baked from their take of the harvest and quartering it. Each fourth of the loaf was scattered throughout the corners of the home, one piece in each corner. This is believed to have been an offering to the spirits of the land, made in exchange for another year without hunger and a successful, bountiful harvest to come again that following year.
In Christian practice, each village would prepare a loaf of bread from the first take of the harvest and that loaf would be brought to the nearest church and blessed. This blessing of the bread was symbolic of blessing the fruits of the harvest. In some traditions, the bread would then be used in the rite of Holy Communion as the Eucharist.
Another practice was to break the bread into fourths and place those quarters in the four corners of either the main barn or grain storehouse in the village. It was believed that this offering would protect the food supplies from any potential ruin or depletion.
FEASTING
Communal feasts were a holiday essential across the board. With Lammas, Lughnasadh, and Lùnastal, it wouldn’t have been uncommon for the preparation of the feast to be a communal affair as well, as it would have been a great deal of work that a whole village would have shared.
In some practices in Ireland, Scotland, and on the Isle of Man, a food offering would be presented to Lugh and/or to local spirits before the feast. What was done with this food offering varies from place-to-place, custom-to-custom — some would have later taken the offering and buried it on sacred land or left it on sacred land for the wildlife to partake in or the spirits to enjoy; others would have divvied up portions of the offering onto each plate at the feast, so that everyone was symbolically joining Lugh or the spirits in celebration.
Some sources speak of a superstition in Ireland that states that it was extremely bad luck to be hungry during the celebrations. Partaking in a good can’t-possibly-eat-another-bite meal was believed to keep the threat of going hungry or going without at bay for the following year. Thus, it was encouraged that you fill your plate and eat as much as you possibly could. Eating a more modest portion risked bringing bad luck and illness in the year to come.
CAILLEACH DOLLS
In Scotland, dolls (“corn dolls” or “Cailleach dolls” — note: here 'corn' does not refer to a doll made of corn husks, as is common in folk traditions of the United States; rather, it refers to 'corn' meaning grain) would be fashioned from some of the first wheat harvested. One would put the doll in another field that hadn’t yet been completely ploughed. The doll could only be moved then from that field once the work was done and that portion of the harvest completed. Then you could move to doll to another field still unharvested. Once that field was ploughed, the doll could be moved, and so on. It was something like a game of hot potato. You don’t want to be the last one holding the hot potato, nor did you want to be left with the Cailleach doll in your field at the end of harvest. If you were left with the Cailleach doll, it was your household’s responsibility to keep her through the winter and take care of her.
ENTERTAINMENT & THE TAILTEANN GAMES
The harvest festival was historically celebrated with fairs and sporting games, and these events are still held today in some areas. For the artists, there would be music, dancing, storytelling, and poetry recitals and competitions; and for the sportsmen, there was no shortage of games and athletic sport to choose from.
The Tailteann Games were athletic contests held in honor of the goddess Tailtiu. These were traditionally held at Tailtin (Teltown) in modern day County Meath. People would come from all over Ireland to witness the games, including the kings of Ireland who would enact a time of truce to attend the event. The event is featured in early Irish literature, including the Ulster Cycle's Tochmarc Emire.
Such sporting events came to be practiced throughout Ireland and Scotland. Some sources say that the Tailteann Games would start in Ireland before Lughnasadh, believed to have been held during the latter half of July, with their grand finale at the Lughnasadh festival on the 1st of August.
Sport included in the Tailteann Games would have been spear throwing (as a nod to Lugh who was known for his impeccable skill with a spear), wrestling and boxing, sword fighting, archery, and a variety of racing – running and swimming, as well as horse racing and chariot racing. There were also craft competitions — smiths, weavers, jewelers, and the like would bring forth their best work to be judged.
THE DYING OF SUMMER
While some see Lughnasadh, Lammas, and Lunastal as a midsummer festival, it was traditionally the coming of summer's end.
In Ireland, one custom related to Lughnasadh bringing the end of summer and the beginning of autumn involves flowers and hiking up a hill or mountain. It is said that people would carry out their trek whilst wearing flowers (as crowns on their heads, as jewelry, pinned on their clothing, etc). When they reached the summit, the flowers would be buried, serving as a funeral for summer.
OATHS, BUSINESS, & ROMANCE
In Ireland, Lughnasadh fairs were a time to deal with business and legal matters. New laws would be read out to the public, treaties were negotiated, and contracts of trade and marriage were always on the menu. One Lughnasadh tradition relating to marriage was that of trial marriages, sometimes called a Teltown marriage in Ireland. The couple would be joined for a year and a day. Come the following Lughnasadh fair, the marriage could either be made permanent or be broken off without any consequence or questioning.
In Scotland, a similar practice to trial marriages took place, though it was a bit more casual. Lùnastal was a time when couples could simply “pair off” without anyone judging them for it.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS & THE RIDING OF THE MARCHES
Another common practice for all three of these holidays was getting outdoors to gather fruits and plants. Processions and parades would be had, be that from one town to another or through the surrounding countryside or just held through their own village.
In Ireland, one custom involved a casual trek up a mountain. Many still practice the Lughnasadh tradition of hiking up hills and mountains, and it has also been adopted as an Irish Christian tradition, with some partaking in pilgrimage days on or around Lughnasadh. The best known of these mountain pilgrimages is called Reek Sunday — a Christian pilgrimage up County Mayo's Croagh Patrick, at the summit of which masses are held.
Visiting holy wells and/or clootie wells was also a common Lughnasadh custom. Visiters would leave offerings at such places and pray for health, for protection from hunger or scarcity of resources, and for protection of their household and cattle.
In Scotland, there is the practice of the Riding of the Marches. People would ride out on horseback and take route through the streets and then out along the boundaries of the town. It is believed this originated as a Neighborhood Watch — they would make sure that everyone was safe from any attempted land theft or theft of harvest. In more recent history, the procession is less about safety and instead is just about having some drunken fun.
Celebrating the Harvest Today (Even for City Folk)
When we think of harvest festivals, fields and farmers come to mind, and rightly so. I grew up in the southern United States, raised by grandparents who were farmers and who had come from farming families. My home state is very much an agricultural state known for mustard, wheat, corn, tobacco, hay, and soybeans. For my generation in my family, the importance of 'the harvest' hasn’t been lost. The concepts and symbols that we associate with harvests are so familiar to me, but to many that didn't grow up with as close a connection to agricultural communities or as close access to nature, those concepts may feel foreign or distant, like something from a story we’ve heard before but whose details we can’t fully recall.
Nowadays, whether we live in an inner-city area, a suburb, or even the countryside, so many of us face a disconnect from the land and from our roots. That disconnect can make it particularly difficult to acknowledge and celebrate a harvest festival or holiday without dealing with a touch (or maybe a boatload) of feeling out of our element or like an imposter. To conclude this piece on Lammas, Lùnastal, and Lughnasadh, I'd like to offer some simple ways one can celebrate these holidays or any other harvest holiday, no matter where one lives.
ENJOY THE FRUITS OF THE LAND
What season is it where you are? What fruits and vegetables are harvested this time of year? Find out what’s in season and what’s being harvested where you are and try to include those fruits, vegetables, and herbs in your meals. It can also be quite fun and fulfilling to use only in-season foods for a harvest feast.
HOST A HARVEST FEAST
It doesn’t have to be anything grand. It doesn’t have to be communal. You can have a small harvest feast for your household or even just for one. Make sure the menu is filled with dishes made from whatever fruits, vegetables, and herbs are in season ‘round your neck of the woods, and don’t forget it’s considered bad luck to eat too meager a meal during the holiday!
ATTEND A FAIR
Many fairs feature modern renditions of customs associated with Lughnasadh, and, coincidentally, many state and county fairs in the US, as well as county fairs in Britain and Ireland, tend to fall around the same time of year as these harvest festivals. One fair in Ireland — County Kerry's Puck Fair, which also happens to be one of Ireland's oldest fairs — is even believed to be what came of the area's local Lughnasadh fair.
In the US, attending your local state or county fair is a great way to learn about the agriculture of your region, observe and mingle with local farmers and learn about their trade, enjoy local cuisine and entertainment, and witness similar competitions to those that would have been held at Tailtean Games, such as trade and craft shows, cattle shows, and the like.
CONNECT WITH NATURE
You don’t have to be out harvesting your own food. You don’t have to have a trek up a mountain. Find out what your options are near you. Maybe it’s a park where you could have a lovely picnic with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables that are in season where you are. Maybe there’s a hiking trail where you can go and leave behind the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life for at least a little while, where you might stop to meditate on all that the land can provide — be that food and water for our physical bodies, or energy and sustenance to heal and nurture our mental and spiritual bodies — and to give thanks for that. Maybe you’re fortunate enough to live in an area that is predominantly wildlife. Spend time outdoors, appreciating what you have where you live.
MAKE A CORN DOLLY
Making a “corn dolly” from wheat, sweetgrass, or hay and straw is still practiced this time of year in Scotland (and making corn husk dolls is common around this time of year throughout the US as well). You can make a doll of your own as a talisman of good luck and protection.
Sources for making dolls & other related crafts:
How to Make a Corn Husk Doll
Straw Craft, Wheat Weaving, Corn Dollies, & Kern Idols
Straw Craftsmen
Something Corny
BAKING
Bread is a prominent feature in Lughnasadh, Lùnastal, and Lammas customs. Baking bread would be a wonderful way to mark the harvest holiday, and baking a pie or cobbler is a great way to incorporate seasonal fruits as well. For a festive centerpiece, you can incorporate seasonal herbs and/or edible flowers to decorate your bread with, either by baking it into/onto the bread or by just using as an element of décor for the centerpiece, laying it atop and around your delicious, homemade bread. You can also try baking a focaccia if you have herbs you’d like to use up.
Happy harvest to you, friends! May you and yours know happiness and health.
SOURCES & FURTHER READING:
'Sanas Cormaic' - Cormac mac Cuilennáin
'the Aonach Tailteann and the Tailteann Games, Their History and Ancient Associations' - Nally, T.H.
'Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia' - Koch, John T.
'Dictionary of Celtic Mythology' - MacKillop, James
‘the Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore’ - Monaghan, Patricia
'the Festival of Lughnasa: A Study of the Survival of the Celtic Festival of the Beginning of Harvest' - MacNeill, Máire
'the History and Origins of Druidism' - Spence, Lewis
'Ireland's Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth' - Williams, Mark
'Lúnasa in Ireland' - the Irish Pagan School
'Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain' - Hutton, Ronald
'Tailtiu and the Origins of Lúnasa' - the Irish Pagan School
Cailleach's Herbarium
the Irish Pagan School
