Lughnasadh is celebrated at the time of the First Harvest. It is the first of the three Harvest Sabbats (Mabon and Samhain being the other two). Usually it is celebrated on 1st August. However, the Ancients Celts passed their days from sundown to sundown, so the celebration should really begin on 31st July. This date is symbolised by the Lion, one of the four figures found on the Wheel of the Year or The World Tarot cards. The other three figures are the Bull, the Eagle, and the Spirit. In astrology, these four figures are the symbols of the four ‘fixed’ signs of the Zodiac.

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Pic: Hello, I am Bruce

Les Tout tells us that Lammas and Lughnasadh is an ancient Pagan festival celebrated in many parts of the world. Typically falling on the first day of August, this festival celebrates the fruits of the first harvest of the year with a focus upon gratitude and blessings for abundance. The names Lammas and Lughnasadh are often used interchangeably which can create some confusion but the following will help to clear things up. Lughnasadh The history of Lughnasadh, which is pronounced LOO-nah-sah, traces its roots far back into Irish history. In Celtic mythology the god Lugh is said to have held a funeral feast in honor of his foster mother Tailtiu, who died after clearing the plains of Ireland for the purpose of agriculture. The festival of Lughnasadh became a day based upon this Celtic myth and historically it was a day of contests, games, handfasting or marriage, and seeking lodging for the long winter months. It was also one of the four main festivals of the Irish medieval calendar signaling the height of summer and the approach of autumn. The word Lughnasadh means “marriage of Lugh” which again ties in with Celtic mythology, for the god Lugh was seen as married to the land, or earth, and sacrificed to the earth. This is symbolic of crops being planted and then “sacrificed” in harvest.

Lammas

Lammas was the name used in medieval England for the Christian holiday that celebrated early harvest. An Anglo-Saxon word, Lammas is thought to be a combination of the words loaf mass, the reason being that in medieval times it was typical for loaves of bread baked from the grains of the first harvest to be blessed during a church ceremony at that time.

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A Celtic goddess of love, harmony and fertility, Aine of Knockaine is an Irish fairy queen and is associated with the great Celtic mother goddess, Dana,

She was once the wife of the Earl of Desmond, and promised to stay with him as long as he kept his word to never show surprise at any of their son’s antics. Unfortunately, the Earl of Desmond couldn’t help but to be startled when he witnessed his son jumping in and out of a bottle, so Aine promptly left him and returned to the land of the fairy, Cnoc Aine (Aine’s Hill) in County Limerick. The Earl of Desmond didn’t fair quite so well, and was turned into a wild goose.

Aine was also known to have been married to the great sea god, Manannan Mac Lir. But it seems she found mortal men quite irresistible, and had many mortal lovers, which resulted in many children that were half fairy and half mortal. Some say it is for this reason that she was bestowed with the title of “Fairy Queen.” Continue Reading »

Well, not exactly a Tour - yet <grin>! We are going along to the Long Man at Wilmington today to visit the Druids at the Anderida Gorsedd meeting. So, if you’re in the area and want to come along and say hello to us we’d love to see you! The meeting starts at 2 pm. The Anderida Gorsedd open rituals began on the Spring Equinox 2000, the dream of Druids Damh the Bard and Cerri Lee to revive the regular celebrations of the old Pagan festivals in the sacred landscape of Sussex. On that cold day 7 people braved the weather for a walk up the hill to the Long Man, and there the Gorsedd was proclaimed. By Beltane six weeks later word had spread throughout the Pagan community and 40 people joined together to celebrate the Rites of Spring.

Since then the Gorsedd open rituals have been held for every fire festival, equinox and solstice, rain or shine, and it is this reliability and consistency that have been the root of its success. Now anywhere between 50 and 100 people gather under the Long Man to honour the turning tides of the Wheel of the Year, sharing laughter, tears, song and story, as the Gorsedd enters it eighth year. You can find out more here. Continue Reading »

Half-nude, red-painted revelers at the Beltane Fire Festival reenact an ancient, annual Celtic ritual heralding the May 1 arrival of summer—”Beltane” being Celtic for “May.” Revived in the 1980s, the festival is part of an effort by modern Celts to celebrate the lost cultures of their ancestors, who dominated Europe some 2,000 years ago. [National Geo]

Beltane kicks off the merry month of May, and has a long history. This fire festival is celebrated on May 1 with bonfires, Maypoles, dancing, and lots of good old fashioned sexual energy. The Celts honored the fertility of the gods with gifts and offerings, sometimes including animal or human sacrifice. Cattle were driven through the smoke of the balefires, and blessed with health and fertility for the coming year. In Ireland, the fires of Tara were the first ones lit every year at Beltane, and all other fires were lit with a flame from Tara.

Today’s Pagans and Wiccans celebrate Beltane much like their ancestors did. A Beltane ritual usually involves lots of fertility symbols, including the obviously-phallic Maypole dance. The Maypole is a tall pole decorated with flowers and hanging ribbons, which are woven into intricate pattern by a group of dancers. Weaving in and out, the ribbons are eventually knotted together by the time the dancers reach the end.

In some Wiccan traditions, Beltane is a day in which the May Queen and the Queen of Winter battle one another for supremacy. In this rite, borrowed from practices on the Isle of Man, each queen has a band of supporters. On the morning of May 1, the two companies battle it out, ultimately trying to win victory for their queen. If the May Queen is captured by her enemies, she must be ransomed before her followers can get her back.

There are some who believe Beltane is a time for the faeries — the appearance of flowers around this time of year heralds the beginning of summer and shows us that the fae are hard at work. In early folklore, to enter the realm of faeries is a dangerous step — and yet the more helpful deeds of the fae should always be acknowledged and appreciated. If you believe in faeries, Beltane is a good time to leave out food and other treats for them in your garden or yard.

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