**Lammas & Lughnasadh**
Happy Lammas! Blessed Lughnasadh.
These are two holidays you will not find on your 365 days of cats calendar (I’ve checked), but are they the same? Are they just simply interchangeable? We’re going to do a little dive to find out.
If the title didn’t give it away, they are actually different festivals with different meanings, EVEN if they land on the same day and have some coinciding elements. Many modern Pagans consider their names synonymous, although the meanings of the names are extremely different.
The name of the festival, Lammas, derives from the Old English, hlaf-maesse (“loaf-mass”). Traditionally, bread made from the first harvest of the year was and is blessed in churches. This seemingly Christian practice was intended to activate these blessed loaves so that they possessed magical properties for protecting the new grain. These loaves were also believed to possess the power to heal in some locations, thus the Lammas-blessed loaves were rarely eaten, but instead preserved as talismans and amulets. Nowadays, Lammas also names the beloved, modern Wiccan sabbat, devoted to harvests, literal & metaphoric. Despite its Christian veneer, Lammas’ roots may lie in ancient pre-Christian festivals, similar to Lughnasa.
Which brings me to the other cat in the room (i am sticking with this metaphor ok). Lughnasadh, also spelled Lughnasa, is among Ireland’s four ancient fire festivals. The date coincides with Lammas. So, many scholars believe the two festivals share prehistoric roots. The name “Lughnasadh”, means “the marriage of Lugh,” referencing the Celtic deity. During the festival, this solar spirit consummates his sacred marriage to Mother Earth, with all creation invited to celebrate and revel with them. Saying that though Lugh was a late comer to the Irish pantheon, the festival may have been celebrated long before his arrival (Whether this or similar festivals were once celebrated in continental Europe, Lugh’s ancient stronghold, is now unknown). Some scholars believe the entire festival may have once been paid tribute to Irish Sun Goddess Aine, and the 3 days prior to the modern holiday remain sacred to her. The 3 days following Lughnasadh with it are dedicated to the Irish Moon Goddes Aynia, Aine’s sister or alter ego. For those who can’t or are unable to celebrate on the day of festivals, and LIFE HAPPENS, Lughnasadh was once significantly longer, lasting approximately FOUR weeks, beginning at the end of July and continuing into August, roughly corresponding to when the sun is in Leo.
Whether you celebrate Lammas or Lughnasadh, they both hold a special place of worship and community for many. If you can celebrate it today, then take that time to share with loved ones, the bounty the year has provided for you thus far. And if your days are like herding cats, remember, your practice is YOURS~
The month of August is actually renamed by Augustus, not because it was his birth month, but because he considered it his lucky month, as it contains the anniversaries of his first becoming consul & his decisive defeat of his rivals, Mark Anthony & Cleopatra. It was previously named Sextilis (meaning “sixth”) as it once was the sixth month of the calendar year. Themes include light, or the lack thereof, and harvests, both literal and metaphoric. The days get shorter from here in the Northern hemisphere, as we draw towards the equinox. Conversely, August can be the coldest month for the Southern hemisphere, bringing concerns over whether the previous harvest was sufficient & how long the cold will last. Deities celebrated during this month include, Celtic deity Lugh; Mictecacihuatl, the Aztec goddess of death; Pachamama, goddess and personification of Earth in the Andes; and lunar goddesses Diane and Hekate. August in an excellent time for protection magic and for expanding your repertoire of spells.
More correspondences;
Astrological Signs of the Month: Leo and Virgo
Bird of the month: Kingfisher
Birthstones: peridot, sardonxyx, spinal
Flowers: gladioluss, Poppy
Animal of the month: alpaca
Ref. Judika Illes, Daily Magic cc. 2021
Article by Amy D.
Alberta Witches Association 