Lughnasadh
The Pagan Gamer
11
We have another pagan holiday coming up on the wheel of the year, and it is called Lammas or Lughnasadh. This holiday is celebrated on the first of August, and is a celebration of the harvest. This is also a celebration to honor the God Lugh, the Celtic Craftsman God. He is the God of Light and many skills, and was honored in various societies all over Europe and the British Isles. In fact, Lughnasadh was often celebrated by showcasing skill and craftsmanship, and there were festivals where artisans could peddle their wares. In medieval Europe, guilds would arrange booths to be set up in the village green, and were often adorned with brightly colored ribbons. This is thought to be the inspiration for a lot of renaissance fair decorating. Lugh is also known as the patron god of bards, and his celebration is a good time to learn a new craft, or hone your skills.
Grain has always had a significance in a civilization’s history, all the way back to its earliest times. It represents the cycle of life and death in many cultures. In Sumerian mythology, the God Tammuz was slain, and his lover Ishtar was so begrieved that all plant life stopped growing before following Tammuz into the Underworld to bring him back with her, similar to the Greek Goddesses Demeter and Persephone. Speaking of Greek mythology, the Greek God of Grain was Adonis, and two Goddess fell in love with him. In fact, Aphrodite and Persephone fought so fiercely over him that, according to some legends, Zeus ordered Adonis to spend half the year in the underworld with Persephone, and the other half with Aphrodite.
In early Ireland, it was a bad thing to harvest your grain too early, because it meant that last year’s harvest had run out early. In a culture in which agriculture was the major food source, this was a potentially fatal problem. On the first of August, the farmer would cut the first sheaves of wheat, and the farmer’s wife would then cook the first loaf of bread of the harvest in a big ritual made to honor the God’s sacrifice. The first seeds of the harvest were saved until planting time, and replanted so that He might be resurrected and His strength, warmth, and courage would be given to next year’s crops. The word Lammas is derived from the Olde English phrase hlaf-maesse which means “loaf mass.”
Many games were played during the festivals of Lughnasadh, and these traditional games were done for a few reasons. The first is that these were reenactments of the funeral games that were played during Lugh’s foster mother, Tailltiu’s funeral. Tailltiu had died of exhaustion after clearing Ireland’s land to make it ready for agriculture, and she was accorded great honor upon her death for her gift. They are even called “Tailltean Games” to this day. The second reason for these is a representation of Lugh’s battle with Balor, King of the Fomorians. Fomorians were said to be the first race of people to live in Ireland, but they were stingy and jealous.
Games traditionally played during this holiday include archery, arm wrestling, horse racing, jousting and tug-of-war, among others. Other than jousting and horse racing, there are many ways to reenact these events yourself in your home. Some homemade games are a great way to do this. Give it a try and see what you like! There’s a few game ideas later in the article to give you ideas.