Disclaimer: This website uses affiliate links, meaning: at no additional cost to you, I earn a small commission if you click-through and make a purchase. As an Amazon Associate or other affiliate program participant, I earn from qualifying purchases. Mabon House only features products that I believe in and use myself. Thank you!

Tip: If you’d prefer to support local retailers in your area, independent booksellers can often order specific books for you and have them delivered to the store for pick up, for the same price as ordering online.

Lughnasadh is the first of three autumn celebrations in the Wheel of the Year. A cross-quarter day, Lughnasadh is celebrated on August 1 (though some celebrate on August 5th when the sun reaches 15 degrees Leo). Named for the Celtic God Lugh, Lughnasadh was later known as Lammas by early Christians. Many modern Lughnasadh traditions are rooted in the ancient customs associated with the first harvest of grain. Marking the midpoint of summer, Lughnasadh is a good time to slow down, reflect and think about the last turn in the Wheel of the Year.

Early Celtic Traditions

Lughnasadh is named for the ancient Celtic God Lugh, who is thought to be an older personification of the Celtic god Bel / Baal (for whom Beltane is named for). Both deities are associated with fire and the sun. In ancient Celtic culture Lughnasadh was a time to start preparing for winter, when the first harvest of grain was cut and vegetables and fruits preserved. Harvest festivals were popular during the period between Lughnasadh and Mabon. People would gather for celebration, games and to trade their produce and wares. In her book Modern Guide to Witchcraft, author Skye Alexander points out that the tradition of harvest festivals lives on through the many rural state and county agricultural fairs throughout the United States.

As Christianity spread into the British Isles beginning around the sixth century, Lughnasadh eventually became known as Lammas, which means loaf mass. This name referred to the first baking of bread of the new harvest, which would be brought to the local parish church to be blessed by the priest. Read more about the history of Lughnasadh & Lammas

Cross-Quarter Days

Lughnasadh is one of the cross-quarter days in the Celtic calendar. A cross-quarter day marks the mid-point between the summer and winter solstices and the spring and autumn equinoxes (also called Quarter Days). Lughnasadh falls on August 1, which is the midpoint between the summer solstice (Litha) and the Autumn Equinox (Mabon). While there is historical debate about whether the Celtic calendar included both quarter and cross-quarter days, the cross-quarter days mark the Celtic beginning of Spring (Imbolc), Summer (Beltane), Autumn (Lughnasadh) and Winter (Samhain). These dates reflect the agrarian cycle of the northern hemisphere, when daily life revolved largey around the harvesting and preserving of food ahead of the long winter months.

Modern Lughnasadh Traditions

Today Lughnasadh is celebrated by pagans and wiccans as one of the eight Wheel of the Year sabbats. Common celebrations include baking bread, making beer, hosting bonfires and decorating your home with seasonal flowers and cornstalks and early gourds.

Lughnasadh as a Time for Reflection

Lughnasadh marks the seventh turn of the Wheel of the Year. The year is 3/4th over and it’s a good time to pause and reflect on how your year has been so far. What are you happy about? What disappointments did you experience? What do you want to focus on between now and Samhain? If you journal, write down what you would like to be, do and have in the coming months. See my favorite journals

Summer days are half over, and so now is a good time to slow down and savor the beautiful weather, if you haven’t done so already. Make a date with friends to go on a picnic or a hike; host a potluck dinner followed by a bonfire; or celebrate solo with a glass of seasonal blackberry wine and some fresh bread.

How are you celebrating Lughnasadh this year? Share in the comments below!