Lammas/Lugnassad coming!

[acorn elf]

Anyone doing anything for Lughnassad? I don't know what to do then. I don't really understand what it's about either. Any ideas/explanations?

[LadyTrinity]

Lammas (August 1) marks the end of summer and the beginning of fall. The days now grow visibly shorter and by the time we’ve reached autumn’s end (October 31).
I do not know why Lammas starts Aug 1st. Some Canadian summers.. Its barely hot until Aug. :lol; But rules are rules.
I don't have anything planned for Lammas. Maybe celebrate it with a BBQ :fpompoms

[fangedeshana]

I'm in the southern hemisphere, so I'll be celebrating Imbolc.

If you dont know much about the holiday and are interested, why not "celebrate" by studying it? I'm doing that for Imbolc. Researching basic info, correspondences, myths/stories, etc as well as meditating on what I learn, and how it applies to me.

[Flar's Freyja]

Not sure yet.....I have the privilege of having several real life pagan groups to visit. I have bought decorations for the altar and for Flar's grave. Lots of sunflowers and wheat lookin' stuff.

[HorseCrow]

I'm going to bake a huge loaf of bread and pack it in the picnic basket with a bottle of wine, some fruit and veggies and have a picnic in the fields :)

[blueangel]

I never know what to do for to celebrate these special times but things tend to work out ok. I like to burn a candle and think about what I am grateful for. I'd like a ritual or something but i have'nt worked out yet. I guess I will get down to that tomorrow.

[Redshire]

In my Kemetic practice, this a a very important Sabbat, the Opening of the Year. I'll be doing a ritual to welcome the new year ahead, and dedicating myself to the service of a Name that's been knocking on my door lately.

should be fun. :)

[Rosana]

Well, on Lammas I celebrate the harvest - everything that was brought to me during last twelve months. I will enjoy the sun, maybe fast (ok, ok, I wouldn't survive without some fruit juice! :p ), maybe bake some cookies... I haven't arranged anything, but just a look on my beloved Magus will be a celebration, since August was the month when we revealed our true feelings toward each other :D

[Agaliha]

Wow, I don't know what I'm exactly doing.
I still have to figure out how to mix Hindu Gods into the predominately Celtic Sabbats.
I will probably do something like a small ritual or activity.

Here are lots of sites with ideas and rituals, Acorn Elf.
Here are a few:
Lammas (http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/7280/lammas.html)
Celebrating Lammas (http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/lammas.html)
Lammas site 2 (http://thunder.prohosting.com/~cbarstow/lammas.html)

Just search Lammas or Lughnassad along with: ritual, celebration, sabbat, meaning, history etc. And You should find some more as well.

[acorn elf]

Thanks, everyone! I will definitely be making some bread. Although, and this is true with other sabbats I have seen, the date seems to be debated. Whether on the 1st or 2nd- WhispersofSaraswati's first source says it's from sundown 31st to sundown 1st; however the second says sundown 1st to sundown 2nd... ? I've seen this with Imbolc, too.. Do you think it would matter which day I celebrated on, or is there an answer to this?

[Agaliha]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's: sundown 31st to sundown 1st.

a site said:


A Pagan Sabbat: Lammas, usually celebrated on or near the evening of July 31-August 1
---
Lammas, Festival of August, Southwind Sabbat, begins sundown, July 31.
http://www.tylwythteg.com/Lammas.html (http://www.tylwythteg.com/Lammas.html)


I believe the Celts started their Holy days on the evening of the actual day.

So tomorrow night is the start.

[acorn elf]

Yes, but then this:
The Celts celebrate this festival from sunset August 1 until sunset August 2 and call it Lughnasad after the God Lugh.
-http://www.schooloftheseasons.com/lammas.html

Ha ha know what this means? 2 day celebration for me!

[cheddarsox]

I just pulled my last batch of gingerbread men from the oven. My UU church is having a service, the speaker will speak on Lammas, Lugh traditions. Afterwards the church's pagan group is hosting a "Bread and spread" luncheon.

I don't know why bread is baked in the shape of men, but I am hoping the speaker will share that tradition. My gingerbread is not the sweet, crisp cookie type, it is much more breadlike, but spicy, made with half whole wheat flour and a thick chewy texture.

I have not really celebrated Lammas in the past. I find it hard to put to gether a celebratory mood at this time of year. I HATE the whole back to school thing, and it is all in my face right now. but I am trying to move past that with the help of my friends!

I hope to learn a lot today and gain a new holiday and a deeper appreciation!

cheddar

[thecount692003]

I'll just be going to my local woods & spend some time with nature and possibly read.

[Sibylle]

Hi!

Lughnasad is the feast of the "first harvest", meaning the corn harvest (as opposed to most fruit which are harvested later). Of course, it only makes sense if you live in a part of the world where the climate is right for this... I don't think the date in itself means a lot.

I'm lucky, I live where the date is spot-on, so I'm always celebrating on the evening of 1st August. I bake fresh wholemeal wheaten bread and put it on my altar, and I collect a few ears of rye or wheat from the fields in my area. During the ritual, I symbolically "start the harvest" by rubbing the corn out between my fingers, and I give thanks and ask for a rich harvest.

If at all possible, I light a campfire somewhere outside, and in any case I give the first bit of bread as a libation (either burning it in the campfire or putting out the crumbs for birds). After the ritual, I feast on the bread, usually eating it with red berry jam, since berries are traditional for Lughnasad too.

On the next day, 2nd August, I bake a blackberry pie, and I generally see all this day as a day for celebration. Lugh is the god of the corn, of the harvest (NOT a sun god, as he is often mistakenly called), and any sacrifice to him should be done during this time as well.

This is by no means set in stone, it's just my personal take on it. I love Sabbats, I make real holidays out of them, and it feels very special :)

Have a beautiful Lughnasad, everyone!

Hugs!!

[Flar's Freyja]

I believe in our part of the country this year the "exact" Sabbat will be Friday, that's when our group is doing ritual.

Tonight, I will take a picnic out to Flar's grave and change out the flowers to some harvest-like colors.

Interestly, last night I drew the Fertility Spell from my deck of Magickal Spell Cards, and it happens to involve corn. I will probably do that one at home when I get back.

[Shadowsong]

It's kind of funny... I didn't think I would celebrate Lughnasadh, but I ended up doing it! :lol: I just took some oats and scattered them to the four directions in my backyard, asking for protection as autumn and winter draw near. Rather peaceful, really. Didn't take too long, it was really impromptu, but it felt good. Like it's a step on the path back home, you know?

[acorn elf]

I ended up doing something like that, too ^^ I made scones because I was hungry--I stepped outside and ended up crumbing one everywhere in the yard, offering all the way to a dry corn husk laying in the yard.

[zilith]

I made bread with my mom. Twas fun :)

[Jenne]

Made dinner with our harvest from out back (herbs and tomatoes).

Blessed Lugh everyone!:smile:

[mucgwyrt]

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it's: sundown 31st to sundown 1st.

a site said:


I believe the Celts started their Holy days on the evening of the actual day.

So tomorrow night is the start.
...the celts and anglo-saxons both started their days at sun-down the evening before. So say their festival was the 2nd of August, the celts would have celebrated from sun-down 1st August, to Sun-down 2nd August.

[blackroseivy]

Just lit a candle & some incense & made a supplication to my Goddess Sulis, & contemplated a bit... Otherwise, not much of a celebration because by the time I remembered I had wanted to take a bath, it was too late & I was exhausted! However, I am going to go ahead & have a bath tonight & burn the rest of the incense, try to get into the spirit of the thing; I'm alone & am always at a loss. "Count", you sound like me! ;)

[KiNoRonin]

Konnichi Wa to All:

Sorry for the long time it has taken for me to sit down and write about my Celebrations of this years Lughnasad, but I have been so busy with Apartment Restoration and Painting that I have not been able to get to it.

Basically, Lughnasad is the Celebration of the Time of the Year which falls exactly between Summer Solstice and Autumnal Equinox. It is named after the Ancient Celtic God Lugh, who is the Celtic God who represents the Early Harvest. This is Celebrated mainly because there are some varieties of Food Crops that Grow Fast and are ready to Harvest at this Time of the Year. It is by this time of the Year that the crop of Green Peas, which I Plant around the Front of the Building, are Ripe and Ready.

This Years Lughnasad fell on the 31st of July, which was the exact same day as this Year's Sunday Celebration of the Vancover Japanese Canadian's Powell Street Festival.

For further information on my Activities at the Powell Street Festival, click on:

http://powellstfestival.shinnova.com/ (http://powellstfestival.shinnova.com/)

This Year will be the 6th Year that I Volunteered to be the Festival's Environment Coordinator (a polite title for the guy who gathers up and throws out the Festival's Garbage).

On Friday the 29th, I helped with the Set Up. That involves the Cleaning of the Park, the setting up of Tents, and the Main Stage Platform. It starts at about 9:00am and usually is finished at about 4:00pm. At Noon, the Fujiya Japanese Food Store Donates O-Bento Food Boxes of Rice with Chicken, Fish, or Tofu (for the Vegetarians). Those O-Bento Boxes are always Delicious.

Then at 9:00am on Saturday, I show up, put out approximately 21 Garbage Cans and then I start work gathering up the Garbage. Things are usually slow until about 1:00pm. That is when the Crowd gets Pretty Big and they are all consuming lots of Food, thus the Garbage Bins Fill Up Fast. For the time between 1:00pm and about 4:00pm, I am running about the Park throwing out Garbage as Fast as I can. There are always to Huge Dumpsters at each end of Oppenheimer Park (named after the First Mayor of Vancouver, not the Chief Scientist of the Manhatten Project: BTW). I have to take each 15 to 20 Pound Bag of Garbage and throw them up and into the 6 high Dumpster.

So that is what I have to do every Saturday and Sunday during the Festival.

But on Sunday, I also sign up to do the O-Miskoshi. The O-Miskoshi is basically a Portable Shinto Shrine that is about a Ton. It has a Small Highly Decorated Shrine with Bells and Medallions Encrusted all over it. It takes about a Hundred Strong Persons (Women participate as well) to pick it up and march it around. The Goal of the O-Miskoshi is for the Gang of People to Pick It Up and then Shake it around as vigorously as possible so that all the Small Bells will Ring Out. The Tradition says that the Ringing Bells will attract the Attention of various Gods and Goddesses and the Crowds Wishes (usually for a Good Harvest) are Heard.

Doing the O-Miskoshi is Hard. After spending about 2 Hours throwing out Garbage, and then doing the O-Miskoshi is very Exhausting and Hot. Luckily, there are several Women who throw Water onto the O-Miskoshiers so that they do not get Too Hot. Without the Women throwing Water, there would be several O-Miskoshiers who would Fall Down from Heat Exhaustion.

After doing the O-Miskoshi, I had to do a bit of running around to catch up on some of the Garbage that had been accumulated during the time I was O-Miskoshiing. After catching up with the excess Garbage that piled up during the O-Miskoshi, I had to rest for about 15 minutes or so.

During the time I was resting, I did a small bit Proseltyzation of Celtic Paganism by informing a few other of the Festival Organizers that particular Sunday, the 31st of July, was Lughnasad as well as Powell Street Festival.

They did not seem too interested. Nani Shimasu Ka? :rolleyes:

Then at about 6:00pm was TearDown. That is when the last Act is finished and all the Volunteers Quickly TearDown all the Tents and the Stage. This usually is finished at about 9:00pm, and then all the Volunteers go off to a local Chinese Restaurant called "Onlok" for a big Volunteers Dinner Feast.

I finished Eating at about 11:30pm and then made my way Home and collapsed from the Exhaustion of throwing out a couple of Tons of Garbage.


Then Monday Night, I went to the Volunteers Party. There is a Buffet put on for the Party with some Video Movie Presentations, and then Bingo for Prizes. I won some Japanese Greeting Cards at the Party, on which I wrote some Saluations to other Volunteers and then distributed them around.


So in Conclusion, I felt that there is no better way for me to Celebrate Lughnasad than going to Party at the Powell Street Festival.

Ki No Ronin