When and what is Lammas day?
On 1st August we celebrate Lammas (or Lughnasadh), which honours the first harvest of the season, grain, the sun, the Celtic god of craftsmanship, and the goddess, Harvest Queen and Earth Mother at her fullest. She holds the seed of all future harvests – just as a woman is born with all her eggs – embodying the great mother-line in all its magic and mystery to give thanks for the blessings of Mama Earth and Father Sun.
Why is Lammas Day important?
In the great Wheel of the Year, before the shorter days take us into shadow season, we appreciate the warmth and sunlight supporting the season of growth and acknowledge our ancestors’ hard work to survive through the winter months.
Metaphorically, our mental, spiritual and emotional crops are also ready for the first harvest. If you planted intentions in the darkness of winter or early spring, this is the time to see what has bloomed and manifested, and perhaps what you can let go of as we take the next turn in our journey 💫
Ways to celebrate Lammas day
Create a Lammas altar
Make your home or sacred space feel abundant and celebrate with the shades of the sun and harvest – red, orange, yellow, green and gold. Choose any spot that feels right for you and gather items to honour this festival and bring the magic of the season into your home.
Incorporate the following:
🌾 Grains like wheat or corn
🌾 Seasonal flowers and herbs – such as sunflowers, daisies, zinnia and any herb clippings from your garden
🌾 In season fruits and vegetables
🌾 Crystals that support the season such as carnelian, citrine, pyrite and golden healer quartz.
🌾 Candles – natural beeswax in red, orange, yellow and green holders (our Solaris or Gaia candles are perfect!)
Bake a Lammas bread recipe
A traditional Lammas ritual is baking from the first harvest of wheat (Lammas is an Anglo Saxon word for loaf-mass) and the day also marked the occasion when “Lamas Rights” were granted. This allowed “commoners” the right to forage on crown and church lands and the “commons” – woods, ponds, fields and grazing grounds—to feed themselves.
In celebration of the start of the harvest and the tradition of the common ground, this recipe below uses any aromatic herbs of the season, home grown or foraged in the wild.
Watch out for our Instagram reel to see the finished product!
Herby Lammas Loaf
INGREDIENTS
- 2¼ cups flour (and a little to cover the counter)
- 1/2 cup of finely chopped aromatic homegrown or foraged herbs. I’m using the following from our garden – rosemary, thyme, parsley, sage and sweet marjoram. Put aside a little to sprinkle the top of the loaf.
- 1/4 cup minced flower or herb blossoms that you have to hand – I’m using sweet marjoram blossoms and lavender. Put aside a little to sprinkle the top of the loaf.
- 3/4 cup of grated cheddar cheese. Put aside four or five tablespoons for topping.
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon of sea salt
- 1 tablespoon of sugar
- ⅓ cup butter
- 1 cup milk
- 2 tablespoons olive oil for brushing the top
DIRECTIONS
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees
- Grease baking sheet
- Add your flour, baking powder, salt and sugar together in a bowl & mix together
- Mix in the butter until crumbly
- Add half the milk and stir, then add remaining milk and mix together. Add herbs, blossoms, cheese and mix well
- Prepare a floured surface and gently knead dough for about a minute
- Shape into a roll and cut rounds for your biscuits
- Place in a circular shape (gently touching) on greased baking sheet and sprinkle with remaining cheese and herbs
- Bake at 200 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Brush tops with olive oil as they come out
Make this (or bake something else delicious!), decorate your table with fresh flowers and candles, and feast with friends and family 🌼
Lammas Blessings!
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