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Lughnasadh (pr. loo-na-sah) August 1st. This is the main harvest Celtic festival and the name of the month of August in the Irish language. It represent the culmination of the year long relationship between people and the Earth. The main theme of the Celtic festival of Lughnasadh is reaping the bounty of the land, followed by a communal feast of the first fruits. This includes cultivated crops and wild growing fruit. There was a recent tradition in Ireland of young people going out to playfully collect wild bilberries followed by great romps in the woods after dark (greenwood marriages, a common theme to most Celtic Festivals it seems). This is also a time to reaffirm the tribe or community’s sense of unity and the individual’s sense of belonging. Great fairs were held at the Lughnasadh Sabbat including horse races, games involving fertility magic, Bardic recitations, music and dancing. There is an amazing wealth of information available concerning Lugh and the Celtic festival of Lughnasadh, especially The Festival of Lughnasa by Maire MacNeill.

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