08/02/2024
August 1st marks the first harvest festival, as the days grow shorter the harvest season begins. Lughnasadh is halfway between the autumn equinox and the summer solstice. This is the time for expressing gratitude for nature's abundance and the nurturing spirits of the land.
Plants first start dropping fruits and seeds as the land is now ripe for harvesting. We gather to reap her bounty in preparation for the coming winter. Traditionally, grains like wheat, barley, oats, and corn were harvested in the morning and baked into bread by evening and shared with the community.
Lughnasadh means the sun god Lugh, a deity of light, craftsmanship and skill. Lugh honors his foster mother Tailtiu also known as the harvest goddess. It is believed that Tailtiu died of exhaustion by overworking as she prepared the land for crops and farming. She rests in Teltown, Co Meath where Lugh built a mound for her. Many come to visit around the time of Lughnasadh.
Celebration begins the night before with large feasts and plenty of food and drink. Lughnasadh is especially celebrated among people with talents for crafts, healing, smithing and music. A time to share what you have learned and to learn what others have to offer. �This is a time to harvest and complete the goals and projects you have started and planted in yourself earlier in the year. The time to give thanks to the earth for it's lush bounty of fruitfulness and beauty and to bid farewell to Lugh, as he wanes in the sky. Each day grows shorter and the nights grow longer. The Mother Earth starts turning into her aspect as the crone.
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