Lammas (also known Loaf Mass Day or Lughnasadh) is the first of the three harvest festivals. Observed on August 1st in the Northern Hemisphere, it is a celebration of the harvest, particularly the harvest of grain. Lammas has folk and Christian origins, particularly in the United Kingdom, and dates back to at least the early medieval period (although it may have even earlier pre-Christian origins).

August 1 was an important date, as it was the time tenants delivered their freshly-harvested wheat to their landlords and loaves of bread baked from the harvest were blessed. There are a significant number of references to Lammas by name from the medieval period onwards in the UK, from Juliet’s birthday being on “Lammas Eve” in Romeo and Juliet and the Lammas Fair in Exeter, an annual festival that has been held for over 900 years.

For modern pagans and witches, the harvest may not be as literal. In the 21st century, very few of us literally reap the grain from the fields. We no longer need to celebrate a successful crop, as our food security comes from the supply chain that leads to grocery store shelves being stocked rather than our own blood and sweat shed in the fields.

For me, Lammas is a great opportunity to pause and give thanks to those that still toil in the fields to feed the world. For the vast majority of the food we consume, we never know the names of those that did the planting and harvesting. Although I strive to think about the unseen labor it takes to get food staples from the field to the grocery shelf to my plate throughout the year, Lammas provides the perfect opportunity to meditate on this process fully.

Additionally, I see Lammas as the turning point towards the colder months. Whether due to my general predisposition or my chronic illnesses, I have a significant intolerance to heat. Living in Texas with a heat intolerance can be taxing on my body, so I view Lammas as a symbolic marker that we are at the hottest point of the year and it will be less harsh heat-wise from here until spring. Statistically, the hottest day in my city falls on August 6th, so Lammas falling at the beginning of August is fitting. This year, the end of the astrological “dog days of summer” falls on August 11th, and Lammas reminds me that I am in the final push towards the time of the year that better suits my temperature tolerance.

This year for Lammas, I am decorating with the flowers of the season, drying herbs as a means to not waste them, and setting out sandalwood incense. In the days leading up to Lammas, I am spending my mealtimes with the specific intent of thinking of the labor that went into the harvest and preparation of the food and drink I consume.

Other things I am meditating on in the lead-up to Lammas:

• How I have I grown in the past year?
• What aspects of myself do I need to continue to nuture?
• What actions can I take to appreciate the labor of others?
• How do I nurture myself?
• What research can I do on those who plowed the land I occupy?

As Lammas approaches, I will have other posts on the harvest festival, including a playlist, my food offerings for this year, and a simple bath ritual. Be sure to follow for more updates.