What is Lughnasadh/Lammas?

Lughnasadh is a Celtic Holiday that marks the first of the harvest season. It was a time to celebrate the God Lugh, also known as Samildanach (meaning “equally skilled in many arts”) or Lugh of the Long Arm. He was seen as a great warrior, king, and master craftsman. He is closely related to the sun, divine inspiration/clarity, and justice. One story of Lugh is that when he decided to join the Tuatha Dé Danann, he was asked what skills he could use to serve the court. Lugh listed off his many skills and talents, but they already had members of the court that had also mastered those skills. Lugh then asked, “But do you have someone that is a master of them all?” He was then admitted to the court, and he was made leader.

Many games and festivals were held in Lugh’s name with the finale on August 1st, hence the selection of August 1st as the date for this Sabbat. In Greek Mythology, the God Poseidon was honored during July with games and festivals. The Roman Goddess Ceres was also honored during this time, with the beginning of the grain harvest in August, along with another celebration to the God Vulcan, the Roman equivalent of Hephaestus. Isis, an Egyptian sun goddess, was celebrated near the time of this Sabbat. We also know that many Native American tribes had solar festivals where they celebrated the corn or maize harvest. They would celebrate the Corn Grandmother who resided in the corn stalks and would typically gather in large groups for several days of feasting and games of skill. 

Lammas, or loaf mass day, is a Christian holiday that is celebrated on the 1st of August. It too celebrated the first fruits of the harvest by bringing loaves of bread to their church to be blessed and then the church members would make a procession to local bakeries so that they could be blessed by Christian clergy. Some neopagans use the word Lammas as an alternative name for Lughnasadh.