Lughnasadh - August 1st

[icymist]

August 1st marks the Celtic holiday of Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-na-sa), which is the beginning of the grain harvest.

In days past, candidates for king would go to the Fayre of Tailtiu. Tailtiu was the queen of the Fir Bolg (an ancient celtic race) , the daughter of Mag Mor and the foster mother of Lugh. She died of exhaustion after the labor of clearing the lands of Ireland for cultivation, and in commemoration, Lugh held a festival for her. Two weeks prior to festival day, it was customary to climb a hill and survey the land before harvest. The festival then commenced, and lasted for four weeks – two weeks past the actual day.


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[Ilsa]

1. This is so cool!

snip It was Lugh who invented draughts (checkers), ballplay and horsemanship and these sacred games were important in the celebration of the festival, as they were used to show off strength and skill. In addition, this festival was used to gather news, settle arguments and arrange marriages and alliances. Mighty feasting and drinking were the underlying theme of this wonderful festival.

snip

This is the season when everything seems at its richest – trees crops and long warm days. These are called the ‘dog days’ of Summer, because Sirius (The Dog Star) rises and sets with the sun between mid-July and September.

So much of our language comes from these ancient practices. It doesn't amaze me though, that kids don't study the etiology of expressions in school. That would be too hard on both mainstream religion and fundamentalist parents.