8 Ways To Celebrate Lammas (Lughnasad)

It’s time to celebrate the midway point between the Summer Solstice and Fall Equinox –– the sacred time of Lammas. ​

Photo by Wesual Click on Unsplash

Part of the eight sabbats in the Wheel of the Year, Lammas is a time to give thanks for all the  blessings in your life and honor the abundance of the natural world. Historically, this time of year is a pivotal point in the calendar for harvesting the first grain and fruits of the season, which helps ensure survival over the coming winter months. In Celtic Ireland, Lammas (also known as Lughnasadh) honors the Sun God Lugh, who is also known for his craftsmanship. The holiday was traditionally celebrated by cutting the grain, grinding it into flour, and baking the first bread of the season (in Old English, lammas means “loaf mass") and offering it to the God. It takes place on August 1st or 2nd, and it's a time to celebrate all the hard work you’ve put in up until this point. For modern witches, Wiccans, and pagans this can also involve doing spellwork and rituals around prosperity, abundance, growth, and gratitude.

Here, Enchantments’ staff member Marisabel Santiago discusses eight ways to celebrate Lammas, with links to purchase magical tools associated with the sabbat.

Making corn husk dolls
“Corn is abundant this time of year and in the olden days, people would make corn husk dolls from the harvest. They can be used as a form of sympathetic magic, too,” says Marisabel. “These are old traditions representing the Goddess or Lugh’s mother, because [in some stories] she would die this time of year. As a result, some people would use the corn husk dolls for sympathetic magic to symbolize the pieces of themselves that no longer serve them. They would put [aspects of] themselves that no longer served them inside the corn husk dolls and burn them in a ritual, thus, letting go and also giving birth to their own harvest.”

A ritual with Rose of Jericho
“Lammas is such a prosperous time. It’s good for money magick, prosperity, and [invoking] solar energy. I highly recommend working with the Rose of Jericho. It’s that miraculous plant that comes back to life. It’s typically left in water bowls and as it opens it brings prosperity. You can add dimes to the water to reign in more prosperity,” says Marisabel.  

Baking Bread
“I like to make simple, white bread for Lammas. Because it was the first harvest of the season, people would make the first cut of wheat, grind it up to make flour, and make bread from it. The first bread was offered to the God Lugh and people would take a trip up the mountain (because the mountains are closest to the sun) and bury it there. Then they’d have their celebrations there on the mountain,” says Marisabel.

“My favorite bread to make is herb pull-apart bread with mozzarella cheese (here’s a recipe). If you don’t want to use the corn husk for sympathetic magick, you can also make little breadmen and fill it with intentions. If you were trying to lose weight, mold yourself into that image. If you want to represent the Goddess, shape it into a nice Venus of Willendorf…it’s just a really fun way to celebrate,” she adds. 

Lammas Incense
“Lammas incense is excellent when you’re trying to work with air elemental magick. All you have to do is light some incense and make your intentions heard. As the incense blows up to the heavens, so your prayers get brought up,” says Marisabel. “Lammas has this whole history of going up the mountain to get in contact with the solar deity, but the fact that the incense carries up to the heavens saves you the trip of going up that hill,” she adds. #RunningUpThatHill. Nine Fruits incense, which brings luck and blessings, is also great this time of year. 
​

Image by Myléne from Pixabay

​Making a really nice meal
“I love to make a really nice meal as a ‘thank you’ for all the blessings in my life during Lammas. It’s another great way of celebrating the harvest: You put in the hard work throughout the entire year to get to this point and you can take a moment to enjoy it all,” says Marisabel. “People nowadays really do have to take a moment to reflect on all the good, especially with all the bad stuff going around. Lammas is a great way to stop and just be. It’s also in the middle of Leo season, which is one of the happiest seasons!”

Candle Magick
“A Solar Blast candle is great for this time of year. We’re still in summer, but we’re heading into the darker half of the year, so I love a Solar Blast to try to get that last bit of the sun into our prosperity rituals,” says Marisabel. “I also love a Success Candle, because it’s Leo season, and it’s all about that 5th House of being the inner child, showing up, and having that strength and vitality. Adding that [Leo] energy to your Success Candles can be a really big blessing, especially this time of year,” she says. 

Frankincense & Myrrh 
“Frankincense and myrrh are solar resins, so they tend to bring a lot of prosperity,” says Marisabel. You can purchase Frankincense resin here, which is used for cleansing and protection, and often burned with Myrrh, which is good for cleansing and protection.

Money related candles & spells
“Money-related candles are great because it’s time to reap that harvest and get that money!” she says. You can opt for a custom Money Drawing Candle, Money Draw incense or oil, a Money Pyramid Candle (good for long-term financial growth and promotes responsibility and good choices regarding money), a Money Draw spell kit, (which comes with a small incense and dram of oil), or a picture candle like this Mr. Money Candle.

---