The festival of Lammas
This weekend in the Northern hemisphere is Lammas (some folks mark it today, some tomorrow), the first harvest festival of the year. Celebrated in medieval Europe as the Christian Loaf Mass, in England the custom of leaving the last sheaf of the first grain harvest in the field as a sacrifice of thanks to the Gods survived for centuries. Lammas is a Celtic and neo-Pagan festival marking the beginning of Autumn, and is also known as Lughnasadh.
I like this natural way of observing the passing year – by the seasons rather than a fairly arbitrary calendar starting on 1st January. As the hours of night grow longer, even in the midst of the warmth we will soon catch that first faint scent of frost coming.
Celebrating our own harvest of gifts
So what can we do to mark the abundance of our lives at this time of harvest? Few of us grow grain, and many of us don’t have any garden space at all. But that doesn’t mean we have no gifts to harvest, so I have a suggestion to make.
This weekend, spend some time remembering what your gifts have brought to fruition this year. Perhaps you write, perhaps you create beautiful meals, perhaps you are “growing” children. Painting, ritual-making, music, fund-raising, teaching, providing for your family. Think about what you take for granted because you can do it easily while others admire your gifts because they don’t have them.
Got something? OK, take a sheet of paper and write down your harvest. If you’re inclined towards visual artistry, maybe make a collage or a painting. Celebrate the abundance of your gifts.
Then take another sheet of paper and write down what you will do to give thanks for your harvest: your “sacrifice”. Because the inspiration for this is from the natural world, you might want to promise something back to nature – find ways of living more simply, plant a windowsill herb garden, get involved with a local environmental group.
Whatever it is, I’d be really interested to hear about it in the comments.
Happy Lammas to you all.
Image above: my neighbour’s apple tree yesterday
Elsewhere:
At Sallygardens Smallholding, they’re getting ready for a harvest of home-made wine. In my experience this can be delicious or truly awful, but theirs seems to be coming on a treat. Click here to take a look and buy the e-booklet if you feel so inclined.
You might want to join Anita (click here) in the Independence Day challenges set at Casaubon’s Book. It’s all about becoming less dependent on our oil-based economy, in small steps and in our own way.
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
I love this post. Thank you. I will think about my harvest of gifts for this year.
Strangely, I have always thought that when I die I will take a basket to Godde, a basket filled with what I have done to show her — like a cat will bring a lizzard she has caught to show off and be praised.
Your post is asking me to think of it a bit earlier than planned
Claire, thank you. I love that image of the filled basket, and I look forward to hearing about its contents. Of course I hope you won’t actually have to show off your basket for a number of years!!
Belated Happy Lammas to you, Tess. Because I didn’t read your post until yesterday, I can honestly say I unintentionally but quite literally celebrated it on August 2nd by gathering a small harvest from the kitchen garden I share with my mom.
I do like the activity you’ve suggested and the challenge you’ve given me — what to give back to nature. I try to be “green” but I know I could do more. e.g., I really should set up that worm composting bin again.
Hi Elaine, I always love reading about your harvests and looking at your photos.