Lughnasadh - Lammas - The First Harvest

sunflowers

Welcome to Lughnasadh, also known as Lammas – the first of the three pagan harvest festivals.

Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-nas-ah), or Lammas (meaning 'loaf mass'), happens around the first of August, but depending on your location and the seasonal rhythms of nature, you can choose to celebrate anytime from the end of July to mid-August – everything is fluid and guided by the turning of the Wheel of the Year.

As the Wheel turns again, we mark time by noticing the seasonal changes. Growth slows, and the transition from summer to autumn begins.

It is now High Summer, and the sacred union of Sun and Earth, the God and Goddess, has brought us the first harvest. Lammas is the first of the three Pagan harvest festivals, where we give thanks for seasonal abundance and all that nourishes us.

Known as the Grain Harvest Festival, it usually begins in late summer around August 1st. It is a time of plenty, gratitude, and ripening crops. Apples swell on the trees, berries and nuts fill the hedgerows, and gardeners begin to gather in the first vegetables of the season.

The word Lughnasadh connects with the Celtic Sun God Lugh, symbol of light, craft, and skill.

Just like Midsummer celebrations, Lughnasadh is a time for feasting, fun, and community gatherings, a joyful celebration of nature’s bounty. The word Lammas translates from Old Saxon as “loaf mass”, symbolising bread made from the first harvested grains.

Lugh, the Sun God, was honoured with festivals, market fairs, athletic games, bonfires, and circle dancing, reflecting the sun’s cyclical journey. August was considered a sacred month for handfastings and weddings. And is still popular today!

But as always, light comes with shadow - it's ever about that balance. Though this is a time of joy, and gratitude, we also begin to sense the waning sun. We passed the Summer Solstice peak six weeks ago. Now, Lugh’s power fades, and the season turns toward the dark half of the year.

The Yang energy of the Sun gives way to the Yin of stillness and introspection. We can feel the shift, in the land and within ourselves.

The Chinese Medicine Connection: Lammas, Late Summer & the Earth Element

Since becoming a Qigong practitioner, I look to our native, the Western and now the Eastern traditions when writing these blogs.

The Daoist philosophy follows the 5 Element Tradition, with Late Summer being its own distinct fifth season, spanning late July to September, energetically aligned with the Earth Element, and crossing over slightly with Lughnasadh and the Autumn Equinox / Mabon.

The Earth Element:

Associated with Late Summer, the Earth Element governs the Stomach and Spleen, which is responsible for digestion, nourishment, and transformation, both physical and emotional, and our ability to feel grounded, supported, and centered.

This is the time of ripening, when fruits hang heavy, grains are golden, and the Earth provides abundantly for us.

Energetically, it’s about integration, stability, and nurturing oneself and others.

Emotions & Imbalance:

Balanced Earth energy = Empathy, patience, and groundedness.

Imbalanced Earth energy = Overthinking, worry, co-dependence, or feeling ungrounded.

This makes Late Summer a perfect time for Digestive support (warm teas, soups, less raw food). Continuing practices like Qigong, meditation, and walking barefoot to connect with the Earth. Emotional reflection, ask (journal prompt) What do I need to nourish myself?

The Spiritual Bridge Between Traditions:

Just as Lammas is a time to celebrate and give thanks for the first fruits, Late Summer in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) is a reminder to turn inward and prepare for the transition to autumn. I love how different cultures reflect similar themes.

Both traditions invite a pause, to savour what has been created, digest the journey so far ....to root and ground ourselves before the waning seasons.

The Goddess and the God at Lughnasadh / Lammas

At Lammas, the Goddess becomes the Harvest Mother.

Harvest Mother by Wendy Andrew

This is a time to honour the grain, the corn, and the harvest. The Goddess is known as Grain Mother, Harvest Queen, Earth Mother, Ceres, or Demeter. As Corn Mother, Demeter represents the ripened grain, while her daughter Kore/Persephone represents the seed, buried in the dark earth until it returns with new life in spring. Always duality - as the seed can represent the Element of Air, at the Autumn or also the Spring!

This is the essence of Lammas: fulfilment and regeneration, the cycle of life, death, and rebirth.

(Did you know? A pregnant woman with a daughter is already carrying the ovary and all the future eggs of her unborn daughter. She embodies the entire Motherline, a symbol of ancestral continuity, the never ending spiral)

"Triple Goddess" artwork by Amy Haderer

As the grain is harvested, there is food for the winter, and within that grain lies the seed for next year’s harvest. The Harvest Mother is ripe, pregnant with the new Sun God who will return again.

Sacrifice

There is tension: the Sun God, the Green Man, or John Barleycorn, must surrender his life with the cutting of the grain. His sacrifice ensures the survival of the community.

At the Summer Solstice we had an opportunity for summing up, for thinking about what we wanted to let go of - at Lammas we now must let it go, even if that is difficult and we don't want to - there can be no growth without space.

Corn Dollies and Lammas Folklore

traditional corn dollies

Corn Dollies, derived from "corn idol" or "spirit image", have been crafted for thousands of years. Some designs date back to 4000 BC, with ancient carvings resembling plaited straw found in Egyptian tombs over 6000 years old.

Traditionally, the Spirit of the Corn was believed to reside in the last sheaf of the harvest. Special ceremonies honoured this final cut, shaping it into a figure or symbol to protect the home and ensure next year’s fertility.

In villages up and down there country there are fayres, rituals and ceremonies that still carry the energy of these ancient traditions.

Corn dollies were also worn as harvest knots or love favours, given to loved ones, as talismans of protection and good luck.

John Barleycorn personifies the Spirit of the Grain. As the corn is cut, so too is he. He dies to feed the people, yet is reborn in the seed that falls back into the earth. This is the essence of seasonal renewal and spiritual transformation.

Modern Reflections on Lughnasadh

In today’s modern world of global food supply and year-round abundance, we may feel far removed from the lives of our Ancestors and the urgency of the harvest. Yet our emotional, spiritual, and communal needs remain.

Our Ancestors lived close to the land and community, dependent on weather and harvests. Today we have so much, yet we often feel so disconnected. Lughnasadh invites us to reclaim this connection, to the land, gratitude, simplicity, and seasonal living, and in this way we also feel the spirit of our Ancestors draw near and we honour them.

Ways to Celebrate Lughnasadh / Lammas

• Get outside – spend time in nature with family, or alone, (aloneness gives time for reflection).

• Reflect and give thanks – journal your blessings and abundance.

• Practice kindness – donate, support others, or give back to the Earth and her creatures.

• Make bread, craft a corn dolly, or make smokesticks.

• Start a gratitude jar and fill it throughout the three harvest festivals, Lughnasadh, Mabon, and Samhain.

homemade bread loaf

Altar Ideas for Lammas - Seasonal Correspondances

Decorate your seasonal altar with:

• Corn dollies, sickles, wheat, and apples

• Sun-coloured crystals like amber, citrine, or rich earthy ones like tiger’s eye and amazonite

• Tarot or oracle cards representing the Harvest Mother or Earth Goddess

• Candles or cloth, in red, yellow, or orange to honour the Summer Sun and Autumn’s arrival

• Flowers - Sunflowers, ears of corn

Let your altar reflect your connection to the land and the seasonal cycle.

However you choose to honour Lammas, pause.... to feel your gratitude. Even if you have no time for ritual, take a moment to reflect on everything you’ve grown on this turn of the wheel, internally and externally.

Wishing you an abundant, joyful Lughnasadh / Lammas!

Much love, green blessings and gratitude,

Sam AuroraStar Green Witch XXX