Celebrated as the first harvest August 1-2, Lughnasadh {pronounced LOO-na-sah} is halfway between the summer solstice {Litha} and the fall equinox {Mabon} and is a time to give gratitude for the first fruits of the earth, and traditionally, grains. Lughnasadh is named after the Celtic god Lugh who also held the title ‘Artful Hands’ and was known as a warrior, poet, sorcerer, crafter, and blacksmith.
Lugh was known as the ‘many skilled’, a master of many talents. As the god of oaths, he held domain over rulers and nobility, enacting justice.
How to celebrate :
Give gratitude for abundance : start a daily ritual writing down what you are thankful for on slips of paper, placing them in a jar or bowl, and in adding to this collection, watching that when you reflect on gratitude, your ability to see blessings multiplies! Honoring Lugh, contemplate the fruits of your labor, appreciating your hard work, favorite qualities, talents, and reflecting on what you’ve accomplished.
Show off your skills :
Celebrate the ‘many skilled’ Lugh by hosting a games night. You can hold board, tabletop, or classic games such as chess as well as more modern variants such as charades or bean bags. Athletic outdoor games can include races, tag, and other team sports or friendly sporting competitions {you can create unique silly contests as well!}.
Talent show :
Share what has come to fruition : bring and present your crafts, art, writings, instrument playing, baked goods. Host a fashion show and model your flower crowns.
Collect + reflect on seeds :
Collect seeds for next planting season. Make a corn husk, grass, or plant doll, and next year when planting the next season’s garden bury it as a symbolic offering to the Earth, returning what the Earth has provided back to the Earth. Reflect on how to nourish that which nourishes you, that to let something go means to plant the seeds of new beginnings, and meditate on the cycles of nature, life, and decomposition.
Honorable Harvest :
Robin Wall Kimmerer shares how to harvest in right relation : Ask permission of the ones whose lives you seek. Abide by the answer. Never take the first. Never take the last. Harvest in a way that minimizes harm. Take only what you need and leave some for others. Use everything that you take. Take only that which is given to you. Share it, as the Earth has shared with you. Be grateful. Reciprocate the gift. Sustain the ones who sustain you, and the Earth will last forever.
Decorate your altar with :
Symbols of the harvest such as : Cornucopia, wicker baskets, sheaves of grain, corn husks, sunflowers, scythe, garden shears, the Tarot cards the Sun and Strength, and symbols of your skills / talents.
Colors : tones of a field ready for harvest such as yellow, gold, bronze, brown and green.
Incense and herbs : rosemary, basil parsley, mint, rose, frankincense, sandalwood.
May you have an abundant honorable harvest.