LUGHNASADH

SPECIAL NOTES: Lughnasadh is the Irish celebration in honor of the Celtic God Lugh. He was the God of fire, light, the harvest and the sun. The Irish called him by many names, including Lugh the Shining One. August 1st is also called Lammas (from the Old English name Loafmas.) by many Wiccans. It is the celebration of the first harvest. Lammas is the first of three harvest celebrations (Mabon being number two and Samhain number three) and usually features grain made into bread, the food of life. This is a great time to take the kids berry picking or to visit a roadside farm stand. It's really important for our children to understand that food doesn't just magickally appear in the grocery store, it is grown from the Earth and harvested by farmers. Visiting a farmer's market or helping your children pick their own basket of apples helps reinforce this. It shows our kids first hand why we say the Earth is our mother, and why it's so important for us to take care of her. August 1st is also a cross-quarter on the Year Wheel, halfway between Summer Solstice and Autumn Equinox, and half a year from Imbolc.

EXTRA SUPPLIES: Foods from the first harvest: Corn bread, blueberry muffins, apple juice or whatever else you may have picked. (Tip for busy parents: try Jiffy muffin mix. It's about 50 cents a box, comes in cornbread, blueberry and apple and is really easy to make. One bowl, one egg and milk. You'll love how easy it is and your kids will love how good they taste!)

Begin your ritual by ringing the bell to establish Sacred Space. The child chosen to be Bell Ringer rings the bell three times and says:

Tell the kids to imagine a silvery-blue light surrounding the table to create a Circle. Explain that this "Circle of Light" means we want to make this a sacred place to honor the Goddess and God. Explain that a Sacred Place doesn't have to be a church. It can be in your dining room, a special spot in the forest, or even at school, as long as you show the respect and honor the Goddess and God deserve by creating your Sacred Space first.

Next we "Call the Quarters." Explain that this is asking the Ancient Ones to add their powers to ours to make our Circle stronger. Because we do this outside (and you don't want to have too many fires lit!) we pass on the candle lighting and just have the children invoke the elements verbally.  It's a great chance to actually connect with calling the Elements!

The child chosen to call the Eastern Quarter faces the East, raises his/her hands and says:

The child chosen to call the Southern Quarter faces South, raises his/her hands and says:

The child chosen to call the Western Quarter faces West, raises his/her hands and says:

The child chosen to call the Northern Quarter faces North, raises their hands and says:

The adult sets out the plate of muffins and pours a glass of apple juice. Then s/he says:

Explain to your children that other religions also place great significance in the sacredness of bread. The Christians present their breads as "the body of Christ." And Jews make Matzo the center of their Passover feast.

Then the muffins are passed and glasses are filled. When everyone has a glass of juice, but before you eat, lift your glass in celebration. The adult leads the toast by proclaiming:

Then enjoy your First Harvest feast! While everyone eats you can talk about the turning of the Year Wheel. Where we are now, what season we're in, what changes we'll be seeing in the weeks ahead as fall approaches. Talk about the different "harvests" available in your region. Lettuce, potatoes, corn, cucumbers, blueberries, strawberries, oranges, pineapples, whatever.

Share some of the stories of Lugh, the Shining One. In one, he comes to the court of Tara, the Irish equivalent of Olympus, where a giant celebration was going on. Well, it was tradition at Tara that no one could be admitted to the feast unless he or she possessed a skill that no one there already possessed. Since Lugh was late and the great hall was already filled it wouldn't be easy to find a skill not already represented by someone there. But he wasn't called "Lugh the many skilled" for nothing, and so he began reciting his list of accomplishments. He was craftsman, healer, magician, poet, smith, wright - but for each skill Lugh mentioned the door keeper sadly told him there was already someone at the feast who possessed it. Finally the great Lugh asked if there was any one person at the feast who possessed all these skills? Of course there wasn't, so Lugh was allowed to

Another Irish anecdote had to do the significance of the First Harvest. It was considered a major disgrace for a farmer to harvest grains any earlier than August 1st. It either meant he hadn't planted enough grain to see his family through, or, if he wanted to blame it on someone else, that his wife hadn't been careful enough conserving their food stores. In any case it reflected very badly on the family. Remind your children that in our ancestors' day, there were no supermarkets to run to when supplies ran low!

When everyone is done eating and the food has been cleared away, the adult says:

(Note: If you're picnicking, make sure you do a good clean up. Emphasize the importance of keeping the Earth clean, both for the sake of the land and the animals.)

Now you can close the Circle. Explain to the children that the ritual is over. Now it is time to thank the Ancient Ones for their help and their guidance.

Now the Bell Ringer rings the bell three times to release the Sacred Space and says:

Explain that this is the signal that Scared Time is over. The Circle has been released and the Sacred Space is no more.

Excerpts from A Wiccan Primer: Rituals for Children Copyright 1996 by Wind*Dancer