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Celebrating the First Harvest

© Cosette Paneque

In the NeoPagan holiday calendar, Lammas is the festival of the first wheat harvest of the year. Also called Lughnasadh, the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle referred to it as "the feast of first fruits." Although it may be hard to believe, summer, with its light and warmth, has already started to fade. Autumn may seem far away, but the back-to-school sales have begun and Thanksgiving will be here before we know it.

Of Celtic origin, Lughnasadh was the festival of the Irish god Lugh. It marks the beginning of the harvest. To our ancestors, it was literally a time of life or death. A poor harvest would mean starvation and so a good harvest at Lughnasadh was time for rejoicing indeed. Still, there is uncertainty as there are two more harvests to come. For a long time, Christians maintained the tradition of bringing to church a loaf made from the new crop on Lammas Day, or loaf-mass day. Many NeoPagans maintain the tradition of offering specially baked breads to the God and Goddess in thanksgiving and to ensure future abundance.

Lughnasadh can be a difficult Sabbat to celebrate because we are not as connected to and directly dependent upon the land. We are not generally involved with growing and harvesting and some of use may live in tropical regions where the landscape doesn't appear to change much. But Lughnasadh is about transformation: the seeds that grow, the foods that sustain us, the summer that fades into fall.

Since Lughnasadh reminds us that the autumn is coming, many NeoPagans believe this Sabbat marks the sacrifice of the Sun God. If we have difficulty connecting to the physical aspects of Lughnasadh, that is, themes of fertility and harvest, then let us connect to the theme of sacrifice and change. Lughnasadh is a good time to think about our hopes and fears and take stock of what we need to personally give up to ensure a bright future. What stumbling blocks and doubts are you struggling with? What habits or attitudes would you like to eliminate? These are the things to think about as Lughnasadh approaches.

With all these themes in mind, let's explore ways to create Lughnasadh traditions in our family.

Play in the fields of the Lord
Lughnasadh means "Lugh's assembly." The Celtic god Lugh, whom this holiday is named after, was uncommonly skilled in many arts, including the use of the spear, the sling, and the sword. Celebrating Lughnasadh outdoors with games is highly appropriate. They can be traditional summer games like sack races, relay races, and water balloon tosses. Frisbee games also work well as do popular modern sports like softball. Go to the park, the beach, on hikes. Explore the natural world around you.

Get crafty
Making wreaths in a fun activity and the possibilities are endless. They can be made with dried, seasonal flowers and fruits. Corn dollies and other harvest figures are also fun to make. You can create strong links with nature by using things from your natural surroundings. Gathering plants is an excellent way to get your kids in touch with their environment. Encourage them to leave thank-you gifts. Crafts can be kept, used to decorate, or created to represent hopes and fears and then burned during ritual. For the latter, you can also use clay or construction paper. If you normally discard seeds, don't. Collect them for your kids to discover and play with. They can make seed mosaics using craft glue on wood or cardboard. Suns, spirals, God and Goddess figures and other symbols, made with seeds of different shapes, sizes, and colors make beautiful and meaningful additions to your seasonal decor.

Get cooking
Baking breads is a traditional activity. If baking is not your forte, visit a real bakery. Call ahead and ask if you can get a little tour or at least a chat with the baker about the process. As Lughnasadh also celebrates the first fruits, making cobblers, pies, and jams is appropriate. Instead of getting your ingredients from the supermarket, head for the farmer's market or visit farms that allow you to pick your own berries. Talk to farmers. Ask them to share with you and your kids about what it takes to grow and harvest the foods.

Create the altar
Decorate the altar with some of the first fruits, grains, and vegetables that are now ripening. A loaf of bread and harvest figures may also be added as well as any other crafts the kids have made. Add summer flowers and bright yellow or gold candles to represent the sun.

Be charitable
Although the God has begun his downward journey toward the dark frosts of winter, the Goddess wears a face of exquisite abundance. Like Her, most of us experience good health and robust living at this time of year. The earth is awash in fertility and abundance and we relax in a summer haze. But not everyone is so fortunate.

Most people think of those less fortunate around the winter holidays, but there are just as many going without in the summer. Many people are still going hungry and many children will return to school soon without the supplies they need. As the first harvest, Lughnasadh is an excellent time to share with others. If you didn't get around to doing your spring-cleaning, do it now. Donate what you no longer use -- old clothes, toys, school supplies. Consider volunteering in a soup kitchen.

The summer is almost over. Kids will be returning to school soon and the days will begin getting shorter. Take advantage of the warm weather and clear skies as much as possible. Pretty soon, you'll be feeling the first nip of fall in the air as we move toward the second harvest.

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