Lughnasadh Blessings to you all! Today we celebrate the first of the harvest festivals that occur over the next few months and include Mabon and Samhain in September and October. Yes, you saw that right…Samhain! It’s on the way! I always get excited this time of year. It’s so much fun. Our Sabbat today falls between the Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, as we turn the wheel of the year once again. Today is the perfect day to celebrate the spirit of the harvest and give thanks for the abundance that Mother Earth is blessing us with at this time. In the Northern Hemisphere, most traditions celebrate Lughnasadh on August 1st. In the Southern Hemisphere, it is celebrated on February 1st. Our days are starting to get shorter, but we still have more light than darkness in our days.
For those of you that garden you will recognize that most vegetable crops are ready now. Some areas may be on their second or even third rounds. Here in New England, it’s been a bit wet! July brought us a lot … and I mean a lot of rain. While our pumpkin patch doesn’t seem like it will bless us with much this year the tomatillos and tomatoes are finally starting to take off. My herb garden is absolutely thriving and just brings me so much joy. We are beginning our first harvests in our yard and that closely reflects upon the first of the three harvests that I mentioned to you. I often find that where I live closely follows the Wheel of the Year.
Lughnasadh gets its name from the Celtic Sun God Lugh. It means the “marriage of Lugh.” In Celtic traditions, tonight we honor the God Lugh, the Celtic craftsman, and the God of skills and talents and light. In Celtic mythology, Lugh is associated with the grains and harvests as he once held a harvest fair in honor of his stepmother, Tailtiu. The name Lughnasadh comes from his name and is in honor of his work, and the fair he held that day in tribute to his mother. The three days prior to this festival were considered sacred to ancient Celts, and they used them as a time of purification.
It is also an old Celtic custom to harvest bilberries on this day. If the harvest was abundant it was considered a sign of how the next couple of months of harvest would go. The closest thing I have to bilberries in my area is blueberries.
If you are doing a ritual tonight, here are some ideas to prepare your alter. If you are choosing to honor the God Lugh tonight place a symbol of your craft or trade upon your altar. Other items that are appropriate to include for tonight’s celebration include baskets, grains, fruits and vegetables, other symbolic gardening items, and fresh flowers. Some symbols of Lughnasadh include grapes, corn dolls, iron tools or weapons and armor, fall flowers, straw braids, and onion garlands. Altar cloths should be in rich yellows, oranges, or reds to represent the end of summer and upcoming fall harvest. Candles should be in rich fall colors as well, reds, oranges, and yellows. Want to know how to make corn dolls? I have a great article for you here: Simple Corn Dolls
Have a Magickal Day!
Much Love and Many Blessings,
Jasmeine Moonsong
P.S. If you haven’t ordered your Lughnasadh Garden Reading today is the last day!
Lughnasadh Blessings!
