The first day of August (or thereabouts) is traditionally celebrated in Celtic cultures as Lammas, Lughansadh, or the first harvest in the northern hemisphere. The Scottish name for August is Lammas.
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Lammas is one of the four pre-Christian Celtic Pagan festivals, marking the halfway points between Equinoxes and Solstices, along with Beltaine (May 1), Samhain (Nov 1), and Imbolc (Feb 1).
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Rathcrogan in Ireland is a traditional site for celebrating these days:
‘it was in Cruachan with Meadb the fairs of Ireland were wont to be held and the sons of the kings of Ireland used to be in Cruachan with Meadb at that time to see if they might exchange war with the province of Conchobar’ – Cath Bóinde
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The name Lughnasadh derives from the name of Lugh, (pronounced Loo), an Irish mythological figure of the Tuatha Dé Danann. He is known as a god with many talents, able to master all the arts. He is also known as Lugh of the Long Arm, referring to his mastery with spear and slingshot. Lugh was of ‘mixed blood’, being grandson of Balor, the leader of the Fomorians.
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The name Lammas derives from Anglo-Saxon Hlaf-mas, or loaf-mass. Since Lammas is traditionally the first harvest, the celebration of the fruits, corn, and wheat of this time makes sense. The last sheaf of corn is kept from the harvest to be made into a corn dollie (often also associated with Samhain celebration, the last harvest).
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Lammas is a time of abundance and a surplus of food. The hedgerows are now yeilding wild strawberries and raspberries. Gardens are fat with blackcurrants and beans. Green turns to gold, the flowers will begin to die back and bring forth their fruits instead. It is a time for gathering and we must bear in mind the coming of Autumn and Winter ahead. It is time to begin to lay in store the things we will need mentally and physically, to get us through the dark months. The energy that began to rise from the earth at Imbolc, now begins it’s return journey.
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So, enjoy the long days and warm weather while it lasts. Dance in the fields and celebrate the bounty of nature!
Celtic Fairies, Fables, and Folklore! Bestselling author (top #100 Amazon Canada, #1 in Paranormal Fantasy, Amazon Canada) Christy Nicholas, also known as Green Dragon, is an author, artist and accountant. After she failed to become an airline pilot, she quit her ceaseless pursuit of careers that begin with 'A', and decided to concentrate on her writing. Since she has Project Completion Disorder, she is one of the few authors with NO unfinished novels. Christy has her hands in many crafts, including digital art, beaded jewelry, writing, and photography. In real life, she's a CPA, but having grown up with art all around her (her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are/were all artists), it sort of infected her, as it were. She wants to expose the incredible beauty in this world, hidden beneath the everyday grime of familiarity and habit, and share it with others. She uses characters out of time and places infused with magic and myth. Combine this love of beauty with a bit of financial sense and you get an art business. She does local art and craft shows, as well as sending her art to various science fiction conventions throughout the country and abroad. Facebook: www.facebook.com/greendragonauthor Homepage: www.greendragonartist.com Blog: www.greendragonartist.net Twitter: www.twitter.com/greendragon9
Historical fantasy, time travel adventure, and urban fantasy 
Reblogged this on Dog Eared Pages and commented:
Being an August baby with a birthday this week I found this interesting.
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Bit of a typo there at the start saying Lammas is the Irish word for August
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Ah! That should have been “Scottish”
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Fixed! Thanks for pointing that out! I feel like a dolt 🙂
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