Up: [[Wheel of the Year]] Related: [[Mythology]] Created: 2022-07-31 Updated: 2026-02-07 Lughnasadh or Lughnasa or Lammas (Christian) is a cross-quarter day from the Celtic calendar. A cross-quarter day is a midpoint day between solstices and equinoxes. In this case, it’s the midpoint between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox and it is the first of the harvest celebrations, usually celebrated on August 1st. Lammas means a loaf mass and is related to the first bread baked from the new harvest which was taken to the local priest to be blessed. Lammas is the replacement name the Christians gave to Lughnasadh when they were obliterating Celtic beliefs. ### The Story of Lugh Lugh, a Celtic god, was fostered by a goddess named Tailtiu. She cleared a forest for her people but lost her life in the process. Lugh instituted the Tailteann games, to be held in her honour at the place where she cleared the forest. That is the modern Irish town of Telltown (Tailtiu’s town). Apparently these games date as far back as 2000 BCE. The grain harvest was a sacred time, a matter of life or death for the early Celts. They needed to harvest the grain and also gather seeds for planting the next spring. Lugh’s games were tests of physical strength that would be needed for the harvest, and also an opportunity to celebrate the year’s accomplishments. Today’s plowing matches and fall fairs may have their roots in Lugh’s games. ### Celebrating Lughnasadh Celebrate the hard work and harvest of the year. Some rest is also okay, but make sure you finish whatever you have started so that you can harvest both now and in the future. People celebrate Lughnasadh by participating in fall fairs or plowing matches; baking bread, and by decorating using earth harvest colours like yellow, brown, bright green, and orange. Sunflowers are symbolic of this festival. Every year at this time, I savour the simple pleasure of rereading the picture book *Frederick* by Leo Lionni, one of my [[Favourite Books]]