Pagan Studies ~ Lughnassadh

Also known as: Lammas, August Eve, The Festival of Bread, Elembiuos, Lunasa, Cornucopia (Strega), Thingtide (Teutonic)

Date: August 1 or 2, or the first Full Moon of Leo

Symbols: All Grains, Breads, Threshing Tools, Berries (especially

Blackberries)

Deities: Harvest and Grain Deities, New Mother Goddesses

 Colours: Grey, Yellow, Gold, Green

Herbs: cornstalks, heather, frankincense, and wheat may be burned; acacia flowers, corn ears, hollyhock, myrtle, oak leaves, and wheat may be decorations.

Lughnassadh (Loo-NAHS-ah) is named for the Irish sun God, Lugh, and is usually looked upon as the first of the three Pagan harvest festivals.

Lughnasadh is primarily a grain harvest, one in which corn, wheat, barley and grain products such as bread are prominently featured. Fruits and vegetables which ripen in late summer are also a part of the traditional feast. The Goddess, in her guise as the Queen of Abundance, is honoured as the new mother who has given birth to the bounty, and the God is honoured as the Father of Prosperity.

The threshing of precious grain was once seen as a sacred act, and threshing houses had small wooden panels under the door so that no loose grain could escape. This is the original meaning of our modern word "threshold".

From "Celtic Myth and Magick" by Edain McCoy

http://Goddessschool.com/

From: GrannyMoon’s Morning Feast Archives