inessential musings

This is a repost. Not much I can add to last year’s entry, so…

Today is Lughnasadh, or Lammas, half-way between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox. For many it represents “sweet corn harvest time… when Summer leans back and watches her abundance roll out.”

Michael says it’s “from the Old English hlaf (loaf) and maesse (mass or feast) and is very old indeed.” It derives, he tells me, “from the ancient English festival the Gule of August, which marked the beginning of the harvest, traditionally August 1. The early English church kept this pagan dedication of the first fruits but converted it to Christian usage. Through the centuries, loaf-mass became corrupted in spelling and pronunciation to Lammas. On Lammas Day, loaves of bread were baked from the first-ripened grain and brought to the churches to be consecrated.”

In Gaelic history, the midsummer feast of Lammas (originally Lughnassa) celebrated the harvest and was a time of fairs and athletic contests, of marriages and other ritual unions. “On this day, for hundreds and perhaps thousands of years, Celtic people would have gathered at such ritual sites as the Hill of Tara, seeing again old friends and making new ones, sharing stories and food and drink as they affirmed their bonds of love and friendship. Clans, gathered from far and wide, would reconnect with each other, measuring the growth of the children and the increasing depth of an elder’s wrinkles.”

In Scotland, “Lammastide fairs became famous as the time when trial marriages could be made. These marriages could end after a year with no strings attached.” Wilson’s Almanac offers a lot more information and history if you’re so inclined.

Whatever its origin, it’s celebrated by relatively few in this country. I’m thinking we should follow the Scots’ lead and celebrate with good food, good drink and good fellowship. And maybe some dancers. And that “trial marriage” thing might be a nice touch…