Lughnasadh

When Lughnasadh rolls around on the 1st or 2nd of February in the southern hemisphere or 1st or 2nd of August in the northern hemisphere, the fields are full and fertile. Crops are abundant, and the late summer harvest is ripe for the picking. This is the time when the first grains are threshed, apples are plump in the trees, and gardens are overflowing with summer bounty, which makes Lughnasadh the first of the harvest sabbats.

It's the dog days of summer, the gardens are full of goodies, the fields are full of grain and the harvest is approaching. Take a moment to relax in the heat, be grateful for the food we have on our plates and reflect on the upcoming abundance of the fall months. At Lughnasadh, it's time to begin reaping what we have sown throughout the past few months and recognise that the bright summer days will soon come to an end.

Alternate Names
* August Eve
* Ceresalia
* Elembiuos
* Feast of Cardenas
* Feast of Lugh
* Festival of Green Corn
* First Festival of Harvest
* First Harvest
* Harvest Home
* Lammas
* Lughnasa

Pagan Mythology
The God is middle-aged now and His power is waning as His strength is being fed into the grain. Rituals at this time thank the Goddess for her bounty and the God for giving of His strength. This is a time to start seeing the fruits of plans made earlier, the time when goals are almost accomplished.

Themes / Symbols
* Baking bread
* End of summer
* First harvest fruits and vegetables
* Honouring the Parent Deities
* Honouring the Sun Gods

Traditional Foods
* Ale
* Apples
* Barley cakes
* Berries
* Berry pies
* Breads
* Elderberry
* Grains
* Lamb
* Meadowsweet tea
* Nuts
* Potatoes
* Rice
* Wild berries
* Wine

Herbs, Plants and Flowers
* Acacia flowers
* All Grains
* Aloes
* Blackberries
* Corn and Cornstalks
* Crab Apples
* Frankincense
* Ginseng
* Grapes
* Heather
* Hollyhock
* Myrtle
* Oak leaves
* Pears
* Rice
* Rye
* Sloe
* Sunflower
* Wheat

Incense
* Aloes
* Rose
* Sandalwood

Gemstones
* Aventurine
* Carnelian
* Citrine
* Peridot
* Sardonyx
* Yellow Diamond

Colours
* Brown
* Gold
* Green
* Orange
* Red
* Yellow