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‘Lammas’ means ‘loaf-mass’, as this was the name given by the Christian church to this originally pagan festival. On this day, bread was baked from the first harvest and offered to God.
The Irish Celts called the day Lughnasadh, in memory of the funeral games which the Celtic sun-god Lugh held after the death of his foster-mother, Tailtiu. She was a member of the royal family of the Fir Bolg, the previous inhabitants of Ireland who were defeated by the Tuatha De Danaan. Tailtiu was then ordered to clear a forest so that it could be planted with grain but she died of exhaustion. When Lugh became powerful, he decreed that games should be held in her honour on the date that we know as August 1st. Legend tells us that Lugh was the last great leader of the Tuatha De Danaan, the gods and goddesses who became known later as the ‘Faerie Folk’. He was renowned as being skilled in all arts and crafts. Prior to his assuming the leadership, Lugh once arrived at a great feast for the royal court. It was a tradition that only those with special talents could enter and the gatekeeper asked him what talent he had. Lugh stated that he was a wright but was told that there was already a wright present and therefore he could not enter. Lugh then said that he was a smith. When this failed to gain his entry, he went on to state his other skills as a champion, a harper, a hero, a poet, an historian, a sorcerer, and a craftsman. The gatekeeper still refused him, stating that other members of the Tuatha De Danaan, who were already present, had claimed these trades. Lugh then asked, “Ah, but do you have an individual who possesses all of these skills simultaneously?” He was then permitted to enter and join the festivities. In the Middle Ages, many craft fairs were held around this time with the various guilds displaying and selling their wares. These games became a part of Celtic tradition that persisted into medieval times. The gathering of the people for the feasting and markets meant that it was an ideal time to make or renew contracts. It is claimed that ‘Tailltean marriages’ took place at these games. This was a form of ‘handfasting’ where a couple agreed to live together for a year and a day. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Lammas: August 1st in Modern Customs is owned by . Permission to republish Lammas: August 1st in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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