August 1 marks the midway point between the Summer Solstice and the Fall Equinox. Like the other midway feasts (May Day, Halloween) it had significance in early agrarian societies. But it is the one that's been lost for the most part. No, it doesn't have anything to with the South American animal, or the seekers of Tibetian Budhism.
It’s taken me a long time to find information on
Aug. 1 or Lammas. I finally got
information in a book on Druids that I ran across at a workshop of Celtic
Heritage in America. I learned, as I suspected,
that Lammas is a feast of harvest. In
northern climates, it would be just the early first-fruits. The word Lammas in Irish is Lughnasadh, and
in Scottish Gaelic it’s Lunasad. Lunasa
is Irish for August, too. The ancient
god Lugh, in Irish myth, is god of all arts and crafts. He is also considered to be the greatest of
the gods, and the name implies he has a large head. Lugh is found beyond the British Isles, too,
being depicted in early art from Sweden to the Punjab. Of course, the Irish added their own twist, weaving the story that Lugh
has now become “Lugh-chromain” which is the Irish word we pronounce as
“leprechaun,” certainly a crafty character if ever there was one
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