Lammas (Lughnasad), August 1

Lammas, or Lughnasadh (after the Celtic God Lugus) is one of the harvest festivals. It is a time of corn festivals and corn dances. All cultures had representations of a corn mother or corn Goddess. In Europe the corn mother was made of the last sheaves of corn harvested; as her spirit was believed to be embodied in these sheaves of corn. The decent into the darkness of winter has just begun, but the lushness of summer is still aparent in our summer gardens. This is the season when everything seems 'full' - trees, crops, and still, long, warm days. These are the "dog days" of summer so called because the "dog star" Sirius rises and sets with the sun between mid-July and September. The word 'Lammas' comes from "loaf mass" which celebrates the bread made from the first grain to be harvested. This is the time of the year when Demeter is just beginning to realize that Persephone is gone and begins to search for her daughter.

August, 1995 - Lady Ariel

August, 1996 - Gentle Winds - CUUPS - Tempe, AZ.

Lammas Quarter Calls - adapted from Diann Neu

Lammas Calls for 1999 - adapted from Jose Arguelles

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