Twig
August 5th, 2002, 01:10 AM
Here is one of the festivals the druids were thought to celebrate. Do you do anything special for this holiday ???
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Lammas
LAMMAS is one of the Cross-Quarter days in the Wheel of the Year along with Samhain, Candlemas and Beltane. The Cross-quarter Days occur in between the solstices and equinoxes. Some traditions celebrate LAMMAS on August 1st while others will celebrate on August 7th when the Sun is 15 degrees in the fixed sign of Leo. The name LAMMAS comes from the Anglo-Saxon Hlaf-maesse meaning ‘bread-mass’. Another name for this Sabbat is Lughanssadh, meaning the Feast or Games of Lugh. Lammas is the time of the first harvest of the grain, a time of thanksgiving for the first harvesting of the fruits of summer. Traditional at this time is the celebration and sharing of the products of the first grains: bread and ale. In ancient Celtic, Gaelic and Pagan tradition, the grains of the Earth are seen as the body of the God, sacrificed at the Harvest, baked into bread and then consumed to keep the tides of life flowing. Many times the first loaf will be made into the shape of a man to represent the God or long loaves to symbolize his regenerative powers. The first summer fairs begin, often continuing through the Autumn Equinox, as the months of August and September together comprise the time of thanksgiving and rejoicing in the abundance of grain, fruits, produce and the health of our herds – all of which will provide food to see us through the barren winter. At the fairs, we still show off and have contests for the best vegetables, the most vigorous of animals just as we have for hundreds of years.
The themes of Lammas are those of Celebration, Thanksgiving and Sacrifice. The Sun was at its height of its power at the Summer Solstice and since that time nights have become longer and cooler – we know that Winter in coming even as we are surrounded by plenty. We celebrate the abundance, we give thanks for the food which ensures our survival and we must sacrifice the fruits of the harvest in order to continue living. At Beltane the God and Goddess made love, at the Summer Solstice this union of male/female; light/dark; sun/moon; fire/water is celebrated and we know that the Goddess is fertile with the God’s seed. At Lammas, we give thanks and sacrifice the body of the fertilizing, life-giving God by harvesting the grain, releasing Him to care for the souls of our ancestors in the Otherworld, knowing that at the Winter Solstice the new Sun-god will be born and the cycle will begin anew.
One of the names of the Sun-god who gives life is Lugh, who is the son of Arianhod, Goddess of Death. This shows us the paradoxical Pagan world view: opposites are components of one another – life comes from death, light from darkness, dawn from night. Everything is interconnected and dependent on that connection. When the grain is cut to make bread, this is a sacrifice of life, but so that life may continue. On August 1, the games or festival of Lugh, celebrating the life-giving powers of the Sun are celebrated. Picnics, sharing of the harvest and outdoor games of physical prowess and strength are played.
(Kudos to Isis Books for emailing me the above description)
Peace,
Twig
:elf:
___________________________________
Lammas
LAMMAS is one of the Cross-Quarter days in the Wheel of the Year along with Samhain, Candlemas and Beltane. The Cross-quarter Days occur in between the solstices and equinoxes. Some traditions celebrate LAMMAS on August 1st while others will celebrate on August 7th when the Sun is 15 degrees in the fixed sign of Leo. The name LAMMAS comes from the Anglo-Saxon Hlaf-maesse meaning ‘bread-mass’. Another name for this Sabbat is Lughanssadh, meaning the Feast or Games of Lugh. Lammas is the time of the first harvest of the grain, a time of thanksgiving for the first harvesting of the fruits of summer. Traditional at this time is the celebration and sharing of the products of the first grains: bread and ale. In ancient Celtic, Gaelic and Pagan tradition, the grains of the Earth are seen as the body of the God, sacrificed at the Harvest, baked into bread and then consumed to keep the tides of life flowing. Many times the first loaf will be made into the shape of a man to represent the God or long loaves to symbolize his regenerative powers. The first summer fairs begin, often continuing through the Autumn Equinox, as the months of August and September together comprise the time of thanksgiving and rejoicing in the abundance of grain, fruits, produce and the health of our herds – all of which will provide food to see us through the barren winter. At the fairs, we still show off and have contests for the best vegetables, the most vigorous of animals just as we have for hundreds of years.
The themes of Lammas are those of Celebration, Thanksgiving and Sacrifice. The Sun was at its height of its power at the Summer Solstice and since that time nights have become longer and cooler – we know that Winter in coming even as we are surrounded by plenty. We celebrate the abundance, we give thanks for the food which ensures our survival and we must sacrifice the fruits of the harvest in order to continue living. At Beltane the God and Goddess made love, at the Summer Solstice this union of male/female; light/dark; sun/moon; fire/water is celebrated and we know that the Goddess is fertile with the God’s seed. At Lammas, we give thanks and sacrifice the body of the fertilizing, life-giving God by harvesting the grain, releasing Him to care for the souls of our ancestors in the Otherworld, knowing that at the Winter Solstice the new Sun-god will be born and the cycle will begin anew.
One of the names of the Sun-god who gives life is Lugh, who is the son of Arianhod, Goddess of Death. This shows us the paradoxical Pagan world view: opposites are components of one another – life comes from death, light from darkness, dawn from night. Everything is interconnected and dependent on that connection. When the grain is cut to make bread, this is a sacrifice of life, but so that life may continue. On August 1, the games or festival of Lugh, celebrating the life-giving powers of the Sun are celebrated. Picnics, sharing of the harvest and outdoor games of physical prowess and strength are played.
(Kudos to Isis Books for emailing me the above description)
Peace,
Twig
:elf: