| Lughnassad |
| Lughnassad is named after the Celtic Solar God, Lugh, who is skilled in many crafts. This Sabbat is also known as Lammas, Lunasa, and August Eve. This is a very ancient Celtic fire festival, and one of the Great Sabbats. Lughnassad is when Pagans mark the shortening of the days and celebrate the first harvest. This is the Feast of Bread. In the olden days, the divine priest-king was sacrificed willingly in the fields in order to have the harvest be abundant and the people might survive through the winter. The priest-kings death symbolizes the dying of Lugh, the sun God. The waning light heralded the coming of darkness and winter. Now the Goddess becomes the Reaper and attends teh god in His passing. It is a sober time, bu not tragic, as the Gpd says in the "Lord of the Dance": I sleep in the kernel and I dance in the rain; I dance in the wind and in the waving grain; And when you cut me down I care nothing for the pain; In the spring I'm the Lord of the Dance once again! Nowadays, rather than sacrificing a person at Lugnassad, we sacrifice that which is no longer needed in our lives on a personal level - feelings, material things that we no longer need, anrguments, etc. completing the major goals and projects that we have been working on since the spring and by tasting the rewards of these as well as the harvest from our fields and gardens You can celebrate Lughnassad in the following ways: ---Decorate your altar with yellow cloth and candles, as well as corn and sheaves of grain ---Making a God figure which is whole ears of corn wired together with sticks, and covered with gold foil. During the ritual this sun god image is cast into the fire --- later to emerge transformed into the corn god. We eat Him along with other ears of corn which have been roasting around the edge of the fire. Thus the power of the sunlight is transformed into the harvest which sustains us, and we give thanks to his willing sacrifice by feasting on corn and wine. ---Doing magick to help you finish long-standing projects by the fall ---Ritually sacrificing negative emotions, outwarn habits, etc. ---Blessing your garden, where Lugh's vitality has transformed into the ripe vegetables and fruits and grains. |
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