Lughnassadh (Lammas)from July 31 at sunset to August 2

The first Corn harvest, festival of sacrifice, arbitration, contracts and justice

Animal: Stag

Tree: alder

Herbs and incense: cedarwood, cinnamon, fenugreek, ginger and heather, myrtle and sunflowers.

Candle colours: golden brown or dark yellow.

Crystals: tiger’s eye, fossilised woods, amber, rutilated quartz or with dark yellow and brown stones.

Symbols: Use a straw object as your focus, such as a corn dolly, a corn knot or a straw hat, perhaps decorated with poppies or cornflowers or a container of mixed cereals.

Lughnassadh rituals focus on justice, rights, partnerships, both personal and legal, promotion and career advancement and the regularising of personal finances. With corn and corn dollies a feature of the time, fertility is also favoured, perhaps preparing for future ventures or getting healthy to become pregnant in the future.

Agricultural significance

The first grain harvest and especially the corn was of vital importance to the people and indicative of the success of later crops and fruits. Traditionally, soldiers would return to help with the harvest. Because of the dry roads it was a time for travelling Druidesses and Druids to arbitrate in disputes and also the time when temporary marriages were made for a year and a day.

Folk/Magical Significance

Lugh enters into a ritual marriage with Eriu/Nass, the Sovereign Goddess of the land and transfers the remains of his solar strength to her so that the rest of the crops will ripen. He then offers himself as annual sacrifice to feed the people of the land. He is cut down as the last sheaf of corn; everyone hurls sickles at the same time so no-one will know who cut him down. He returns to the womb of the Mother.

In the Christian tradition, it was called Loafmass and a loaf baked from the first harvested sheaf was offered on the altar, so linking this with the earlier tradition, the body of the Corn God is eaten by his people.

In even older tradition, the Earth Mother Talitiu, foster Mother of Lugh and one of the three Celtic Mothers was said to have died preparing the fields and funeral games were held at this time to commemorate her.

Ritual significance

The Lughnassadh fires of petition and burning corn figures representing the slain god continued into the twentieth century in Ireland. Harvest processions took place on hills as the sun goddesses Aine, Grainne and Sulis led the cutting of the corn and the necessary ritual death of her consort. All are aware that the Goddess is now alone and that the success of the harvest is now in the hands of the Mother.

This is The Feast of Lugh, Celtic God of Light, and son of the Sun. The first harvest festival, to give thanks to the Earth for her bounty. In Irish Gaelic, the feast was referred to as Lugnassadh, a feast to commemorate the funeral games of Lugh. Some argue that these were held to anticipate the death of the Sun God at the second harvest at the Autumn Equinox. If you wish to follow this tradition, simply transfer the material concerning the ritual cutting down of the last sheaf of Corn to the next festival. However it would seem that this was the first grain harvest in many areas and so the symbolic slaying of the Corn God seems more natural here.

Certainly the Christianised version, Lammas, which means Loaf-Mass was the medieval Christian name for the day on which loaves of bread were baked from the first grain harvest and placed on the altar to symbolise the first fruits.

It was considered unlucky to cut down the last sheaf of corn as this was thought to represent the Corn God who was willingly offering his life in sacrifice that the cycle of life, death and rebirth, planting, growth and harvesting might continue. Harvesters would all hurl their sickles at the last sheaf so no one knew who had killed the Corn God. It has been suggested that the death of William Rufus while hunting on July 31,1100, was a ritual one engineered by himself because he was infertile.

This last sheaf was made into a corn dolly, symbol of the Earth Mother, and decorated with the scarlet ribbons of Cerridwen, the Celtic Mother Goddess. It would be hung over the hearth throughout winter.

As Lammas was a time for feasting and meeting for distant members of the tribe, it was a natural occasion for arranging marriages.

Trial marriages for a year and a day were frequently set up at Lammas. The young couple would thrust their hands through a holed stone and agree to stay together for a year and a day. The following Lammas they could renew the arrangement or to stand back to back and walk away from one another, bringing the marriage to a formal close.

Contracts were fixed at this time and the old name for the month was Claim-time. Roads were sufficiently dry for travelling during this period and courts of justice would travel round settling disputes and ordering the payment of debts.

Lammas rituals therefore focus on justice, rights, partnerships, both personal and legal, promotion and career advancement and the regularising of personal finances. With corn and corn dollies a feature of the time, fertility is also favoured, perhaps preparing for future ventures or getting healthy to have a child.

Use a straw object as your focus, such as a corn dolly, a corn knot or a straw hat, perhaps decorated with poppies or cornflowers or a container of mixed cereals.

Circle this with crystals of Lammas which include tiger’s eye, fossilised woods, amber, rutilated quartz or with dark yellow and brown stones.

Light golden brown or dark yellow candles and use herbs and incense such as cedarwood, cinnamon, fenugreek, ginger and heather, myrtle and sunflowers.

A Lammas ritual for resolving injustice

The injustice may involve official, business, domestic or personal issues. This ritual can also be used for overcoming official inertia in a matter of importance

• Take a sharp pair of golden-coloured scissors or a sharp knife with a golden handle.

• On a piece of yellow paper write down the matter with which you are concerned and your frustrations and the main obstacles in the path to justice.

• Roll the paper into a scroll and tie it loosely with long grasses or ears of corn, wheat or barley, wrapping in them the desire for a swift and positive ending to the matter.

• Finally tie the bundle with a scarlet ribbon, colour of the Norse other Goddess Frigg who rules corn dollies, binding in it any residual negativity or doubts concerning the matter.

• With your knife or scissors, cut through the ribbon saying:

Let the matter proceed with all swiftness to a positive conclusion that I may be free of its cords.

• You can be as specific or general as you wish about the nature of the problem.

• Catch the corn and paper on a large tray and continue to cut or shred the paper and corn until you have a pile of small pieces,

• Throw the pieces on to a bonfire or fire in a domestic hearth and look into the embers to see pictures of a brighter tomorrow.

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