What is Lammas?

Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-nas-ah) begins August 1st in the Northern Hemisphere and February 2nd in the Southern Hemisphere. Lammas marks the beginning of the harvest when the seeds planted in the spring begin to drop their first fruit and seeds. In traditional understandings of the god and goddess-centric sabbats, Lammas is a celebration of the God’s sacrifice. The harvest is a representation of the god, and his sacrifice of being cut down is seen as an assurance of the harvest the following year.

Lammas is a time for giving thanks for what we have and make offerings of gratitude for another year of abundance in our harvest. It is a reminder that nothing in the universe is constant and we should always be grateful for what we have, while looking optimistically towards the future, no matter how bad things get.

As the god dies with the harvesting of grain, so also he is resurrected in the sprouts of spring.

Also known as: Lughnasadh, Loaf Mass Day

Offerings- Homemade bread (especially cornbread), Corn, Barley cakes, Nuts, Grains, Crab Apples, Rice, Summer Squash, Elderberry wine, Ale, Cider, Beer, Meadowsweet tea, Grains, Berry-based pastries, Turnips, Apples, Oats

Herbs- Acacia Flower, Aloes, Calendula, Cornstalks, Cyclamen, Fenugreek, Frankincense, Heather, Hollyhock, Myrtle, Oak Leaves, Sunflower, Vervain

Deities-  Aine,  Ceres, Cerridwen, Demeter, Inanna, Ishtar, Kore, Persephone. Adonis, Dumuzi, Lugh, Odin, Loki, Baal

Colors- Deep greens, Golden yellows, Deep oranges, Bronzes, Browns

Incense-  Aloes, Basil, Rose, Rose-hips, Rosemary, Chamomile, Passionflower, Frankincense, and Sandalwood

Trees- Hazel, Gorse, Rowan, and Oak

Stones- Carnelian, Citrine, Tiger’s Eye, Lodestones, Obsidian, Aventurine

Zodiac- Leo