Lughnasadh: origin, the god Lugh, Lammas and the first harvest
Lughnasadh is an Irish festival at the beginning of August, linked to the first harvest and to the god Lugh. In the wheel of the year, it corresponds to the English Lammas, the bread festival.
Key points
| Usual date | 1 August (northern hemisphere) |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | Roughly “loo-na-sa” (Irish: Lúnasa) |
| Early sources | Medieval Irish literature, Óenach Tailten |
| Equivalents | Lammas (English), Calan Awst (Welsh), Lùnastal (Scottish Gaelic) |
| Folklore | Reek Sunday, Garland Sunday, Bilberry Sunday |
| Symbols | Wheat, bread, bilberries, first harvests, sharing |
What is Lughnasadh?
Lughnasadh (in modern Irish Lúnasa, which also means the month of August) is a festival of the first harvest. It falls roughly halfway between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. In the wheel of the year, it sits between Litha and Mabon; it is the first of the harvest festivals. Its theme is sharing: harvesting, giving thanks, redistributing.
Lugh, Tailtiu and the Óenach Tailten
The old Irish name Lugnasad combines the name of the god Lugh with a word meaning “assembly, wedding” (násad); another proposal links it to a word meaning “death”. Lugh is a major figure in Irish mythological tales, “of the long hand”, skilled in all the arts. According to tradition, he created the festival in memory of his foster mother, Tailtiu, who died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for farming.
The Óenach Tailten, a great assembly held at Tailtiu (Teltown, County Meath), is described in medieval texts: kings came, a truce was proclaimed, competitions, horse races, fairs, trials and one-year trial marriages were organised. The festival slowly declined after the ninth century. In the twentieth century, the “Tailteann Games” were revived in Ireland. The god Lugh has a Gaulish relative, Lugus, and the name of Lyon (Lugdunum) is often linked to him, but this etymology is debated.
What folklore tells us: Máire MacNeill's study
The Irish folklorist Máire MacNeill published The Festival of Lughnasa in 1962, a vast survey of summer customs recorded in Ireland. She shows that, until the twentieth century, the last Sundays of July and the first Sundays of August were marked by hill climbs, pilgrimages, bilberry picking, fairs, dancing and gatherings. The popular names bear witness: Reek Sunday (pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick on the last Sunday of July, which draws tens of thousands of people), Garland Sunday, Bilberry Sunday. MacNeill saw in these customs the struggle between the god Lugh and Crom Dubh, guardian of the grain, from whom Lugh wrests the harvest for humankind. This interpretation is hers; other researchers discuss and nuance it.
Lammas, the bread festival
In England, 1 August is Lammas, from Old English hlafmæsse, “loaf mass”. A loaf made with the first wheat of the season was brought to church to be blessed. Lammas is a Christian festival; neopagans have associated it with Lughnasadh. In Welsh, 1 August is called Calan Awst.
Lughnasadh in the modern wheel
Among Wiccans, the festival celebrates the first harvest and the figure of a grain god who sacrifices himself to feed the community; some bake a bread shaped like a man, which they share. The motif echoes an old English folk song, John Barleycorn, but the link between the two is a modern construction. Celtic reconstructionists instead celebrate the first fruits and honour Lugh and Tailtiu, sometimes at the full moon nearest the date.
| Symbol | Common reading |
|---|---|
| Wheat, ears of grain | First harvest, abundance |
| Bread | Sharing, gratitude |
| Bilberries, berries | Summer fruit, collective picking |
| Corn dolly | Last sheaf plaited, a tradition in many European countries |
| Yellow, gold, orange | Colours common in modern books |
As for stones, books cite for example citrine, green aventurine and tiger's eye, with no official list.
Harvest festivals in France: the gerbaude and the Assumption
In France, as elsewhere in Europe, the end of the harvest was marked by a festival, often called the gerbaude or festival of the last sheaf: the last sheaf was tied and decorated with ribbons, then a large meal was shared. Another landmark: 15 August, the feast of the Assumption, is marked in several countries by the blessing of bunches of herbs and dried flowers, a custom still alive in Germany, Austria and certain regions of France. These are Christian mid-summer feasts, closer to the farming calendar than to the wheel of the year. They remind us that at the same time, everywhere, people gave thanks for bread.
In the southern hemisphere
In the southern hemisphere, most practitioners celebrate Lughnasadh on 1 February, that is, in the season corresponding to the harvest. Here again, both practices exist.
For a practical take, see the simple Lughnasadh ritual: bake a loaf, give thanks, share.
Frequently asked questions
When is Lughnasadh celebrated?
Traditionally on 1 August, or on the nearest Sunday. In the southern hemisphere, on 1 February.
Are Lughnasadh and Lammas the same thing?
Nearly: both fall on 1 August and celebrate the first harvest. Lughnasadh is Irish and linked to Lugh; Lammas is an English Christian bread festival. Neopagans associate the two.
Who is Lugh?
A major god of Irish mythology, skilled in all the arts. His Gaulish equivalent, Lugus, is attested by inscriptions and place names, but what we know about him is limited.
Why bilberries?
Máire MacNeill's research on Irish folklore shows that picking bilberries on the hilltops was part of the festival. Only pick them if you can identify them with certainty.
Is a ritual really necessary?
No. Baking or buying a good loaf, sharing it and saying thank you to those who made it is already a way to celebrate the season.
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to The Wheel of the Year.