Lughnasadh

This sacred festival is historically dedicated to the Celtic sun god Lugh, a deity of light, craftsmanship, and skill. As the sun reaches its zenith, the Celts believed that Lugh empowered the earth with his energy, ensuring a bountiful harvest for the coming months. This was a time of celebration and gratitude to the land for a successful harvest which would feed their people during the difficult winter months. Ancient communities marked this first harvest celebration with gathering of grains and baking bread.  Some people refer to this time as Lammas meaning half-mass or loaf-mass, a term used from the anglo saxon christian church celebrating the harvest of the first grain which made the bread.

Now in our modern times, we honor this time of year and celebrate with festivities, gatherings with feasts, and games. Lughnasadh is often referred to as the pagan Thanksgiving. To honor this mark towards the turn of seasons, we’ve provided a list of correspondences for your altars and activities you can participate in to celebrate!

Lughnasadh Correspondences:

Animals: roosters, chickens, calves

Gemstones: aventurine, citrine, peridot, sardonyx, orange calcite, sunstone

Herbs and Oils: rose, rose hips, rosemary, chamomile, calendula, sunflower, safflower, passionflower, frankincense, sandalwood, aloes.

Colors: bright summery shades of yellow, orange, red, and gold. 

Symbols and Decor: corn, cornucopias, yellow flowers, sheaves of grain, fruits and vegetables, corn dollies, baskets of bread, spear, scythe, sickle, bonfires, fire, spear, harvested herbs, picnics.

Food: homemade breads, loaves of bread, corn, corn bread, barley cakes, potatoes, summer squash, nuts, wild berries, applies, rice, pears, strawberries, watermelon, berry pies, elderberry wine, mead, grapes, bear.  

Energies: reaping, prosperity, reverence, purification, transformation, the bread of life, the ever-flowing cup, abundance, fruits of your labor, good fortune.

Element: fire