Tomorrow, Pagans and Wiccans will celebrate the first of three harvest holidays. Lughnassadh (Lu-na-saad), or Lammas, is the celebration of the first fruits, vegetables, and grains of the season. The second and third being the Autumnal Equinox, or Mabon, on September 21, and Samhain (Sow-en), better known as Halloween.
The word "Lammas" comes from the old Anglo-Saxon phrase "hlaef-mass", which means "loafmass". It was the time when agricultural societies, most of them at the time Pagan, would gather the first grains of wheat and bake bread. It was also called literally, the "feast of first fruits". There would be feasting and celebrations. Offerings would be made to the Celtic Sun God Lugh.
So how in the world does the average person, who lives in an urban area, and who most likely is not a Wiccan or Pagan, relate to such a "holiday"?
Harvests come in many forms. Not just the fruit, veggie, and grain variety. We all have personal harvests we must bring in. It might be a new job, new ideas, new beginnings of any kind. Do you have a project of some sort that you have been working on, and would like to wrap it up and get it done? Sounds like it is harvest time for you. Are you getting ready to start a new job that you have spent years in school studying for? Finally then, the fruits of all of your hard work are more than ready to be harvested!
Harvests come in small packages too. The harvest of a good job, and a happy and healthy family and home are harvests
we all celebrate everyday. Just your own personal accomplishments are harvests to be celebrated. Because like growing things, you have nurtured and cultivated them until they are jobs well done, that you can and should be proud of.
We have seasons of flood and drought throughout our personal harvests as well. But we manage to muscle through them. Sometimes we come out on top, sometimes not. The harvest isn't always what we thought it would be. That is the way of growing things, be they in the ground or in our daily lives. Sometimes the harvest exceeds all of our expectations! Those are the best kinds!
I hope that by sharing my holiday, it will be better understood. Let's celebrate all of the harvests in our lives, big and small. May Lugh bless them all!
Happy Lammas!
DON'T MISS! August 9 and 10! The Conservative Cauldron will be reporting live from the 2013 Smart Girl Summit in Indianapolis! Plenty of great speakers plus a whole lot more!
The word "Lammas" comes from the old Anglo-Saxon phrase "hlaef-mass", which means "loafmass". It was the time when agricultural societies, most of them at the time Pagan, would gather the first grains of wheat and bake bread. It was also called literally, the "feast of first fruits". There would be feasting and celebrations. Offerings would be made to the Celtic Sun God Lugh.
So how in the world does the average person, who lives in an urban area, and who most likely is not a Wiccan or Pagan, relate to such a "holiday"?
Harvests come in many forms. Not just the fruit, veggie, and grain variety. We all have personal harvests we must bring in. It might be a new job, new ideas, new beginnings of any kind. Do you have a project of some sort that you have been working on, and would like to wrap it up and get it done? Sounds like it is harvest time for you. Are you getting ready to start a new job that you have spent years in school studying for? Finally then, the fruits of all of your hard work are more than ready to be harvested!
Harvests come in small packages too. The harvest of a good job, and a happy and healthy family and home are harvests
We have seasons of flood and drought throughout our personal harvests as well. But we manage to muscle through them. Sometimes we come out on top, sometimes not. The harvest isn't always what we thought it would be. That is the way of growing things, be they in the ground or in our daily lives. Sometimes the harvest exceeds all of our expectations! Those are the best kinds!
I hope that by sharing my holiday, it will be better understood. Let's celebrate all of the harvests in our lives, big and small. May Lugh bless them all!
Happy Lammas!
DON'T MISS! August 9 and 10! The Conservative Cauldron will be reporting live from the 2013 Smart Girl Summit in Indianapolis! Plenty of great speakers plus a whole lot more!
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