One of the four major festivals on the Gaelic calendar (along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane), Lughnasadh is an ancient celebration of the first harvest, traditionally taking place at the end of July and beginning of August. The name derives from Lugh, a fantastic figure from Celtic mythology.
Mentioned in early Irish literature, Lughnasadh likely predates Christianity by several millennia. The festival is most commonly associated with Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, however it was the foundation of Lammas Day, which is how the first harvest is celebrated in England in the Christian era, and Gŵyl Awst (Festival of August) in Wales.
Who was Lugh?
A member of the Tuatha Dé Danann – a race of supernatural beings in Celtic mythology – Lugh appears in folkloric tales as a warrior and a master craftsman. He’s the father of Cú Chulainn, a central figure in the group of Irish heroic legends and sagas called The Ulster Cycle (who is sometimes seen as an incarnation of Lugh, rather than simply his son). Lugh appears in tales told across Europe, where his name crops up in several place names, including the French city of Lyon. Lugh wields an unstoppable fiery spear and is credited with inventing ball games and horse racing.
After the death of his foster-mother, the goddess Tailtiu, Lugh apparently initiated the Tailteann Games (Aonach Tailteann) – a festival featuring cultural and athletic pursuits held regularly at Tara, County Meath in Ireland, between 632 BCE and 1168 CE. Physical challenges such as hill climbing still feature prominently in Lughnasadh celebrations.
When is Lughnasadh?
Historically, the first harvest of the year was a huge deal for rural folk who, until the Industrial Revolution, comprised the vast majority of the population. After enduring a long cold winter and wet spring, people depended on a good crop, which meant the fields’ first yield was eagerly anticipated and celebrated. Before the imposition of the Julian and Gregorian calendars, the pagan population held Lughnasadh festivities, which likely lasted several weeks halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. Eventually the event settled on 1 August (the Irish word for August is Lugasa, which also derives from the veneration of Lugh), and then shifted to the closest Sunday.
How was Lughnasadh traditionally celebrated?
Traditions during Lughnasadh and Lammas (also known as Loaf Day) included baking special loaves of bread made from the year’s first yield of grain. Thanks were offered to the gods (later the Christian God) for a successful crop and for the provision of early season berries, such as bilberries, collectively known as First Fruits. In some places the date is known as Bilberry Sunday.
Lughnasadh festival featured rigorous challenges and sport. The Tailteann Games was the biggest, but events happened elsewhere too, with contests ranging from weight throwing, horse racing and hurling to organised battles between young men using fighting sticks called shillelaghs.
A common custom was for people to climb a local hill or mountain, sometimes burying flowers or corn at the summit; the occasion is also known as ‘Mountain Sunday’. Corn effigies of Lugh were made and other traditions included sacrificing a bull, feasting and ritualistic dances and plays, with someone acting the part of Lugh.
Match-making often occurred during festivities, too, and undecided young couples could embark on ‘trial marriages’ that lasted a year and a day, before either being confirmed and made official or broken off, with no social consequences.
Is Lughnasadh celebrated today?
Although the occasion fell from fashion in the 19th century, Lughnasadh events and customs have been revived recently in parts of Ireland, and by neopagan and Wiccan communities in the UK. However, many traditions that began with Lughnasadh have survived and evolved continuously. Peak pilgrimages still happen, most notably in County Mayo, where thousands of people climb Croagh Patrick (a holy mountain where it’s said St Patrick spent 40 days fasting before chasing snakes out of Ireland).
Also seen as a legacy of Lughnasadh is Puck Fair, which takes place in Killorglin, County Kerry every August. A wild mountain billy goat is captured from the hills and placed on a pillar for three days, during which time the goat is declared king and crowned by Queen Puck (a local schoolgirl), before being released unharmed.
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Top image: the King Puck statue in Killorglin, designed by Alan Ryan Hall in 2001 in honour of the Puck Fair festival. Credit: Eye Ubiquitous/Universal Images Group via Getty
