Photo: Summertime by Alphonse Mucha
When I was a kid, Summertime meant fun. It meant going outside and playing in the sprinklers, hanging out with my friends in a burned out old camper in my backyard and playing wilderness explorer games. Summertime meant no school, no work and all play. When I was a kid. Now that I'm an adult, I look at Summertime in a completely different way. Summertime now is heat, humidity and having to exert more effort to complete everyday tasks. But it's not all bad, because Summertime also means swimming and spending time outdoors when nature is in full bloom and blossom. This Summer, however, is especially hot. It started off pretty cool and I thought we would get a break from the heat this year, but it only waited a little longer to reach scorching, blistering heat. We've been under a few extreme heat advisories and stepping out my front door reminds me of the first round in a sweat lodge. So, with the heat beating down on my roof, the AC pumping overtime and the electric bill rolling like a NASCAR odometer, I thought it would be a good time to punch out some random, sleep deprived thoughts.
It's nearing the end of Summer, The Holly King took his crown at midsummer a few weeks back and the year is starting to wane. Though it may not seem like it because of the scorching heat, Summer is coming to an end and Autumn is rapidly approaching. This weekend is Lughnasadh, Properly on Sunday, the 1st of August. Lughnasadh is the first harvest festival of the year and with all of the festivities planned for this weekend I've been thinking about the meaning of Lughnasadh. Harvest. Obviously the litteral translation is the first thing that pops into my mind; harvesting the crops. Corn, Wheat, Barley etc. But What about modern urban pagans who still celebrate Lughnasadh? What do they harvest if they have no gardens? While I do have a garden in my yard, we did not plant any crops this year. What do we harvest? Spiritual and personal growth. What seeds were planted at Imbolc and Ostara that have come to fruition? What things did we ask for at the fertility festivals that should be ready to harvest? Many of us ask for things like patience, understanding, more time with family and friends, more money. So without a litteral physical harvest, we take the time to reflect within and see what we have planted within ourselves that can now be plucked from the vine. I know I have quite a few personal harvests this year that I am very thankful for.
Aside from the harvest, the mythological connotations of Lughnasadh go back to ancient Celtic Tales of Tailtiu, a Fir Bolg queen and the foster mother of the God Lugh. They say Tailtiu became the foster mother of Lugh after she survived the invasion of the Tuatha De Danaan. She once set out to clear the lands of Ireland so that they could be prepared for planting. She toiled away clearing the forests and preparing the land and as the story goes, she was weary and sickly from the labor of clearing the lands and eventually died from this exhaustion. Her foster son, the God Lugh, who was crafty and skilled with games both logical and physical arranged a funeral feast for her at which they played games and held competitive challenges. This festival was honoured every year and named Lughnasadh.
Now, most of this information is pretty easy to come by if you take the time to look up the meaning of Lughnasadh. I stumbled upon a wepage that really did their homework. This is probably the most information I have ever seen posted about Lughnasadh. Though I have been celebrating Lughnasadh for nearly 15 years now, this website really helped me to understand the festival and it's origins better. I really feel that I have a full understanding of what this festival is, why I am honoring it and it gives me a little more incentive to be prepared for this weekend.
Well, I do hope that this blog entry reaches a few people and that it may well help some understand this ancient festival a little more.
Brightest Blessings and Blessed Lughnasadh!!!!
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