Happy Lughnasadh everyone. Celebrated on the 1st of August, Lughanasadh (pronounced Loo-nah-sah) is the third of the four ancient Celtic seasonal festivals.
This day marks the waning of summer and the beginning of autumn in Ireland.
Seasons change earlier on the Emerald Isle than in North America. And today on Lughanasadh the ancient Celts celebrated the first harvest festival of the year.
Table of Contents
The Celtic Festival of Lughansadh
Other Celtic festivals include Samhain or Halloween, Imbolc celebrated on February 1st, and Bealtaine the festival celebrating the beginning of summer.
Lúnasa is the modern Irish spelling for both the month of August and the festival.
With my little smattering of Irish, I mistakenly believed the name was associated with the moon and the full moon.
As a child I used 'luan' as the Irish word for moon.
Since I don't trust my rusty brain, I decided I better double check the meaning, only to discover the more common term for moon is 'gealach'.
Well, that got me thinking I better investigate my assumptions for Lughanasadh, and as expected I was a little off base.
The harvest moon is associated with the festivities, but the feast bears the name of the sun god Lugh.
Ancient Celtic Ireland was an agricultural community. On the first day of Lughnasadh, Celtic farmers cut the first grains of the season, and families baked loaves of bread, marking the beginning of the end of summer.
Lugh, The Ancient Celtic Sun God
Lugh, the ancient Celtic sun god, is credited with hosting the first harvest festival.
His poor foster mother, Tailtiu, died from sheer exhaustion after clearing the brush and forestry from the central plains of Ireland for planting crops (another poor, over-worked Irish woman!!)
Lugh commemorated his foster mother's sacrifice and dedication, by organizing a great feast and sporting competition. Let's face it, he really should have just helped the poor woman clear the brush.
Over the years this harvest festival evolved into a great tribal assembly.
Násad (pronounced naw-sid) is the ancient Irish word for assembly. It became a time for making legal agreements, resolving disputes, and challenging competitors to great sporting feats.
Hand-fastings, or ancient Celtic weddings were also held on this date.
Reek Sunday
Since much of the festivities occurred at the top of mountains, climbing Ireland's hills became associated with Lughnasadh.
This tradition was Christianized over time, the most famous trek being the Reek Sunday pilrimage to the top of Croagh Patrick.
Thousands of pilgrims climbed this famous Mayo mountain on the last Sunday of July.
And so today, when celebrations of Lughnasadh no longer dominate Irish culture, perhaps we should just pause for a moment, taking time to be grateful for the food on our table and for all of our blessings.
Summer days are drawing to an end and evenings are beginning to grow noticeably shorter.
Lughanasadh is a time to begin reaping what has been sown, and to remember the ever turning cycle of Mother Nature.
Thanks for following my recipes and ramblings.
Slán agus beannacht,
(Goodbye and blessings)
Mairéad -Irish American Mom
Pronunciation - slawn ah-gus ban-ock-th
Mairéad - rhymes with parade
Here are some other posts you might enjoy...
Online Jigsaws
- Irish Cottage Window Online Jigsaw Puzzle
- Fanad Head Lighthouse Online Jigsaw Puzzle
- Muckish Mountain Online Jigsaw Puzzle
- Sligo Thatched Cottage Online Jigsaw
Symbols of Ireland
- Ireland's Arched Bridges
- Old Irish Boreens
- Celtic Christening Gowns As Family Heirlooms
- What Is A Shillelagh?
Penny Wolf
I'm going to bake a round bread today to join in! Round to honor both sun and moon. 🙂
I enjoy your writings,thank you.
Irish American Mom
Penny - What a great idea. I made a round cake instead of bread today. The ancient Celts probably only had honey and no sugar, but I think my round cake is still the fruit of the harvest.
Thanks so much for stopping by,
Mairéad
Aimee
What a fun post to read Mairead! Thanks for all the wonderful information!
Irish American Mom
Aimee - I'm glad you enjoyed this take on the festival of Lughnasadh. Enjoy the rest of your summer.
Take care,
Mairéad
brian@irelandfavorites
Hi Mairead,
Thanks for the lesson, it's what I enjoy most from your posts, Irish insights translated so we Irish Americans can understand (ha). Lunasa also is the name of a great trad fusion band, some of the best flute playing around.
Cheers Brian.
Irish American Mom
Brian - When I start out writing a post I myself don't always have a great understanding of these cultural traditions. I enjoy the quest for more information and retelling these Celtic stories to make them more understandable to those of us who live in America.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Kay G.
I remember hearing a priest once during a sermon talk of many of the Celtic traditions and how many of them were worked into the Christians celebrations. He said that many scoffed and said that they "stole" these ideas but he felt on the contrary, it just showed a great respect for all the centuries of wisdom and to "not throw out the baby with the bathwater". He knew a great deal about the Celts and his sermon was fascinating!
I love to climb to the top of a mountain. I must have some Irish in my background! xx
Irish American Mom
Kay - I like that interpretation. I truly believe when the Celts accepted Christianity they did so without casting away their old traditions. Intertwining of both cultural heritages is clearly evident throughout Ireland.
All the best,
Mairéad
Mariana
Interesting post, thank you.
Irish American Mom
Thanks, Mariana. I hope you are looking forward to the end of winter and the beginning of spring in the southern hemisphere.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Cheryl Barker
I love hiking in the great outdoors so I would love to celebrate this festival! 🙂
Irish American Mom
Cheryl - Hill walking is one of our favorite family activities. Since the time our kids were very young we have taken them to the National Forest near Louisville to walk the trails, and here in Ireland they love to go trekking. I must remember to celebrate Lughanasadh with them every year by going on a long walk up a mountain or through the hills. Climbing Croagh Patrick is on my 'to do' list also.
All the best,
Mairéad
Vince
It's a little bit more complex, but not by much. And in fact you know it.
The solar year is divided in 4, Equinox, 20th March. Solstice, 21st June. Eq, 22nd of September and the winter Solstice 21st of December. But here we do the seasons with February, March and April being Spring, and so on. The seasons bracket the Solstice and Equinox days almost exactly, but the Celtic festivals mark the beginning and end of the season. Or the mid point between the Solstice and the Equinox.
As to that priest, he couldn't have been more wrong. The Council of Whitby debated the setting of the date of Easter. But the core reasoning behind the change was quite interesting. Before Whitby the Celtic churches worked from a lunar computus because the Druids were totally focused on the Sun and due to this weren't all that keen to more as they saw it backwards. It wasn't so much that they were accepting traditions in Ireland, Iona or Lindisfarne and starting to use the Sun but a rejection of Islam and their measurements by Roma and the European church.
Irish American Mom
Vince - Thanks for some great information on Celtic Festivals and the seasons. I always enjoy how you can add so much more to a discussion with often little known facts and connections.
Hope you are enjoying your summer.
Best wishes,
Mairéad
Mary Grice
I really enjoyed this older post. There’s such rich history in beautiful Ireland. Mary
Irish American Mom
Hi Mary - I thought I would share this post with readers again today since it is August 1st. It's lovely to be able to share a little bit of Irish history and heritage here on my blog.
Best wishes,
Mairéad