Lammas - Lugnasadh - The First Harvest

 
Lammas,Lammas, (LA-mas) or "Loaf Mass", also known as August Eve, is celebrated on or around August 1st. Lammas celebrates the first of the major harvest festivals of the year, that of grain or "Corn".

The first grain from this harvest was baked into a ceremonial loaf and given as an offering to the Gods. The last sheaf of grain was not consumed but kept back and made into a effigy to represent the spirit of the grain and the harvest, sometimes called John Barlycorn.

The effigy was placed at the center of the feasting table and then next year when the fields are being prepared for the sowing of new crops, it was ploughed back into the soil so that the spirit of the sun and the corn would live on.

The daylight is now visibly waning as the mature Lord of the Forest and Field becomes more the Wise Sage and his power and awareness begins to pass from without to within. The Pregnant Mother Goddess rules beside Him as they both bask in the bounty of Nature in this, the beginning of the harvest season.

Now is the time when we celebrate that which we harvest in our lives. Magic for abundance, continued good luck and prosperity are especially potent in this season.