View source for Lughnasadh

{{Short description|Irish holiday and Gaelic harvest festival}}
{{Redirect|Lúnasa}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2022}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox holiday
| holiday_name  = Lughnasadh
| type          = Pagan
| longtype      = Cultural,<br />Pagan ([[Celtic polytheism]], [[Celtic neopaganism]])
| image         = Contemporary male Corn dolly.jpg
| caption       = A [[cereal|corn]] [[poppet|dolly]] representing the God [[Lugh]]
| nickname      = ''Lúnasa'' ([[Irish language|Modern Irish]])<br />''Lùnastal'' ([[Scottish Gaelic]])<br />''Luanistyn'' ([[Manx language|Manx Gaelic]])
| observedby    = Historically: [[Gaels]]<br />Today: [[Irish people]], [[Scottish people]], [[Manx people]], [[Celtic Neopaganism|Celtic neopagans]], [[Wicca]]ns
| significance  = beginning of the harvest season
| date          = 1 August
| celebrations  = [[First Fruits|Offering of First Fruits]], feasting, [[handfasting (Neopaganism)|handfasting]], fairs, athletic contests
| relatedto     = [[Gathering Day|Calan Awst]], [[Lammas]]
}}
'''Lughnasadh''', '''Lughnasa''' or '''Lúnasa''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|uː|n|@|s|@}} {{respell|LOO|nə|sə}}, {{IPA|ga|ˈl̪ˠuːnˠəsˠə|lang}}) is a [[Gaels|Gaelic]] festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the [[Isle of Man]]. Traditionally, it is held on 1 August, or about halfway between the [[summer solstice]] and [[september equinox|autumn equinox]]. In recent centuries, some celebrations have shifted to Sundays near this date. Lughnasadh is one of [[Quarter days|the four]] Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with [[Samhain]], [[Imbolc]], and [[Beltane]]. It corresponds to the Welsh {{lang|cy|Gŵyl Awst}} and the English [[Lammas]]. 

Lughnasadh is mentioned in [[early Irish literature]] and has [[Celtic polytheism|pagan]] origins. The festival is named after the god [[Lugh]]. In the Middle Ages, it involved great gatherings that included ceremonies, athletic contests (most notably the [[Tailteann Games (ancient)|Tailteann Games]]), [[horse racing]], feasting, matchmaking, and trading. According to folklorist [[Máire MacNeill]], evidence suggests that the religious rites included an offering of the [[First Fruits]], a feast of the new food, the sacrifice of [[sacred bull|a bull]], and a ritual dance-play. In recent centuries, Lughnasadh gatherings have typically been held atop hills and mountains, including many of the same activities.

The festival persisted widely until the 20th century, with the event called ''Garland Sunday'', ''Bilberry Sunday'', ''Mountain Sunday'', and ''[[Crom Dubh]] Sunday''. The tradition of climbing hills and mountains at Lughnasadh has survived in some areas and is recast as a Christian pilgrimage. The best known is the [[Reek Sunday]] pilgrimage to the top of [[Croagh Patrick]] on the last Sunday in July. Several fairs are also believed to be survivors of Lughnasadh, such as the [[Puck Fair]]. Since the late 20th century, [[Celtic Neopaganism|Celtic neopagans]] have observed Lughnasadh, or something based on it, as a religious holiday. In some places, festival elements have been revived as a cultural event.{{TOC limit|3}}

==Name==
In [[Old Irish]] the name was {{lang|sga|Lugnasad}} ({{IPA|ga|ˈl̪ˠʊɣnˠəsˠəd̪ˠ|label=Modern Irish:}}). This is a combination of {{lang|sga|Lug}} (the god [[Lugh]]) and {{lang|sga|násad}} (an assembly), which is unstressed when used as a suffix.<ref name="Foclóir_Dineen" /> Another theory is that it originated from the word ''nás'' (death), rather than ''násad''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Mark |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C3SYDwAAQBAJ&dq=DIL+death+meaning+n%C3%A1s&pg=PA24 |title=Ireland's Immortals: A History of the Gods of Irish Myth |date=2018-12-04 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-18304-6 |pages=24 |language=en}}</ref> Later spellings include {{lang|sga|Luᵹ̇nasaḋ}}, {{lang|sga|Lughnasadh}} and {{lang|sga|Lughnasa}}.

In [[Irish language|Modern Irish]], the spelling is {{lang|ga|Lúnasa}} {{IPAc-ga|ˈ|ll|uː|n|@|s|@}}, which is also the name for August. The [[genitive case]] is also {{lang|ga|Lúnasa}} as in {{lang|ga|Mí Lúnasa}} (Month of August)<ref name="Foclóir_Dineen">{{Cite book |last=Dineen |first=Patrick S. |title=Foclóir Gaeďilge agus Béarla an Irish–English Dictionary |publisher=The Educational Company of Ireland, Ltd |year=1927 |location=Dublin and Cork, Ireland}}</ref> and {{lang|ga|Lá Lúnasa}} (Day of Lúnasa).<ref name="the_pocket_oxford_irish_dictionary_bearla_gaeilge_gaeilge_be">{{Cite book |last1=Grundy |first1=Valerie |title=The Oxford pocket Irish dictionary: Béarla–Gaeilge, Gaeilge–Béarla / English–Irish, Irish–English |last2=Cróinín, Breandán |first2=Ó |last3=O Croinin |first3=Breandan |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |year=2000 |isbn=0-19-860254-5 |pages=479}}</ref><ref name="focloir_poca_english_irish_irish_english_dictionary_gaeilge_">{{Cite book |last=O'Donaill |first=Niall |title=Focloir Poca English – Irish / Irish – English Dictionary – Gaeilge / Bearla |publisher=French European Publications |year=1992 |isbn=0-8288-1708-1 |pages=809, 811|edition=Irish }}</ref> In [[Scottish Gaelic|Modern Scottish Gaelic]] ({{lang|gd|Gàidhlig}}), the festival and the month are both called {{lang|gd|Lùnastal}} {{IPA|gd|ˈl̪ˠuːnəs̪t̪əl̪ˠ|}}.<ref name="etymological_dictionary_of_scottish_gaelic">{{Cite book |last=Macbain |first=Alexander |title=Etymological dictionary of Scottish-Gaelic |publisher=Hippocrene Books |year=1998 |isbn=0-7818-0632-1 |location=[[New York City]] |page=236}}</ref> In [[Manx Gaelic|Manx]] ({{lang|gv|Gaelg}}), the festival and the month are both called {{lang|gv|Luanistyn}} {{IPA|gv|ˈluanɪstθən|}}. The day itself may be called either {{lang|gv|Laa Luanistyn}} or {{lang|gv|Laa Luanys}}.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.gaelg.iofm.net/DICTIONARY/engman.pdf |title=English/Manx Dictionary |last=Kelly |first=Phil |publisher=mannin.info |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120604150115/http://www.gaelg.iofm.net/DICTIONARY/engman.pdf |archive-date=4 June 2012 |access-date=3 April 2012 }}</ref>

In [[Welsh language|Welsh]] ({{lang|cy|Cymraeg}}), the day is known as {{lang|cy|[[Calan Awst]]}}, originally a [[Latin]] term,<ref name="a_dictionary_of_celtic_mythology">{{Cite book |last=MacKillop |first=James |title=Dictionary of Celtic mythology |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-280120-1 |page=72}}</ref> meaning the ''Calends of August''.<ref name="Foclóir_Dineen" /> In [[Breton language|Breton]] ({{lang|br|brezhoneg}}), the day was known as {{lang|br|Gouel Eost}},<ref>{{Cite book |last=Loth |first=Joseph |title=Annales de Bretagne |year=1898 |page=260}}</ref> the ''Feast of August''.

==Mythology and folklore==
[[File:Testa in pietra con più facce, da corleck hill, co. di cavan, I-II secolo dc. 03.jpg|thumb|The [[Corleck Head]] is a carved stone head with three faces associated with a site of Lughnasadh celebrations in Ireland. It dates from the 1st or 2nd century AD.<ref> [[Eamonn P. Kelly | Kelly, Eamonn]]. "The Iron Age". In Ó Floinn, Raghnal; Wallace, Patrick (eds). Treasures of the National Museum of Ireland: Irish Antiquities. National Museum of Ireland, 2002. p. 142. {{isbn|978-0-7171-2829-7}}</ref>]]
In [[Irish mythology]], Lughnasadh is said to have been founded by the god [[Lugh]] as a funeral feast and athletic competition—[[funeral games]]—to commemorate the death of an earth goddess.<ref name="Hicks Elder">{{cite journal |last1=Hicks |first1=Ronald |last2=Elder |first2=Laura |title=Festivals, Deaths, and the Sacred Landscape of Ancient Ireland |journal=[[Journal of Indo-European Studies]] |date=September 2003 |volume=31 |issue=3 |pages=307–336}}</ref> Irish myths about Lughnasadh and Lughnasadh sites tend to feature a woman who is carried off or held against her will, and who dies of grief, shame, exhaustion, or unspecified natural causes.<ref name="Hicks Elder"/> Parallels with the [[Greek mythology|Greek]] tale of [[Persephone]] have been noted.<ref name="Hicks Elder"/> A story about the Lughnasadh site of [[Teltown|Tailtin]] says the festival was founded by Lugh as funeral games in memory of his foster-mother [[Tailtiu]].<ref name="monaghan297">Monaghan, pp.297–299</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=The story of La Lughnasa, first day of Ireland's ancient harvest festival |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/the-story-of-la-lughnasa-first-day-of-ireland-s-ancient-harvest-festival-1.3582934 |access-date=2023-07-10 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref> She was said to have died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland for agriculture.<ref name="monaghan297" /> Tailtiu may have been an earth goddess who represented the dying vegetation that fed mankind.<ref name="monaghan436">Monaghan, pp.436–437</ref> Another tale, about the assembly site of [[Naas]], says that Lugh founded the festival in memory of his two wives, the sisters Nás and Bói.<ref name="Hicks Elder"/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Coffey |first=George |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5xctAAAAYAAJ&q=lugh+commemoration+nas |title=New Grange (Brugh Na Boinne) and Other Incised Tumuli in Ireland: The Influence of Crete and the Ægean in the Extreme West of Europe in Early Times |date=1912 |publisher=Hodges, Figgis, & Company, Limited |pages=26 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Leviton |first=Richard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VQiNBAAAQBAJ&dq=LUGH'S+FIRST+WIVES&pg=PA275 |title=The Geomantic Year: A Calendar of Earth-Focused Festivals That Align the Planet with the Galaxy |date=2006-11-16 |publisher=iUniverse |isbn=978-0-595-86056-2 |pages=275 |language=en}}</ref> One theory is that it was a mourning (or wake) for the end of summer.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Franklin |first1=Anna |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oH77QJewHQIC&dq=lughnasa+mourning&pg=PA79 |title=Lammas: Celebrating Fruits of the First Harvest |last2=Mason |first2=Paul |date=2001 |publisher=Llewellyn Worldwide |isbn=978-0-7387-0094-6 |pages=79 |language=en}}</ref> 

Folklorist Máire MacNeill extensively studied the later folklore and traditions of Lughnasadh. She concludes that the main theme is a struggle for the harvest between two gods. One god, usually called [[Crom Dubh]] in later folklore, guards the grain as his treasure. The other god, Lugh, must seize it for mankind.<ref name="macneill416">MacNeill, Máire. ''The Festival of Lughnasa''. p.416</ref><ref>Mac Gabhann, Seamus. [http://eprints.maynoothuniversity.ie/770/1/Landsmarks.pdf "Landmarks of the people: Meath and Cavan places prominent in Lughnasa mythology and folklore"]. ''Ríocht na Midhe'', 11. Meath Archaeological & Historical Society, 2000. pp.236–237</ref> Sometimes, this was portrayed as a struggle over a woman called [[Eithne]], who represents the grain. Lugh also fights and defeats a figure representing blight.<ref name="macneill416" /> MacNeill says that these themes can be seen in earlier Irish mythology, particularly in the tale of Lugh defeating [[Balor]],<ref name="macneill416" /> which seems to represent the overcoming of blight, drought and the scorching summer sun.<ref>Ó hÓgáin, Dáithí. ''Fionn Mac Cumhaill: Images of the Gaelic Hero''. Gill & MacMillan, 1988. p.11</ref> In surviving folklore, Lugh is usually replaced by [[Saint Patrick]], while Crom Dubh is a pagan chief who owns a granary or a bull and who opposes Patrick, but is overcome and [[Conversion to Christianity|converted]]. Crom Dubh is likely the same figure as [[Crom Cruach]] and shares some traits with [[the Dagda]] and [[Donn]].<ref name="macneill416" /> He may be based on an underworld god like [[Hades]] and [[Pluto (mythology)|Pluto]], who kidnaps the grain goddess Persephone but is forced to let her return to the world above before harvest time.<ref>Anna Franklin & Paul Mason. ''Lammas: Celebrating Fruits of the First Harvest''. Llewellyn Worldwide, 2001. p.238</ref>

==Historic customs==
In the Middle Ages, the {{lang|ga|[[Tailteann Games (ancient)|Óenach Tailten]]}} or {{lang|ga|Áenach Tailten}} (modern spelling: {{lang|ga|Aonach Tailteann}}) was held each Lughnasadh at [[Telltown|Tailtin]] in what is now [[County Meath]]. According to medieval literature, kings attended this ''[[óenach]]'' and a truce was declared for its duration. It was similar to the [[Ancient Olympic Games]] and included ritual athletic and sporting contests, [[horse racing]], music and storytelling, trading, proclaiming laws and settling legal disputes, drawing-up contracts, and [[matchmaking]].<ref name="monaghan297" /><ref name="kelly459">Kelly, Fergus. ''Early Irish Farming''. [[Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies]], 1997. p.459</ref><ref>Patterson, Nerys. ''Cattle-lords and Clansmen: The Social Structure of Early Ireland''. University of Notre Dame Press, 1994. p.145</ref> At Tailtin, young couples entered into [[Handfasting|trial marriages]] by joining hands through a hole in a wooden door.<ref>Monaghan, p.444</ref> The trial marriage lasted a year and a day, at which time it could be made permanent or broken without consequences.<ref name="monaghan297" /><ref name="McNeill">{{Cite book |last=McNeill |first=F. Marian |title=The Silver Bough |publisher=William MacLellan |year=1959 |isbn=0-85335-162-7 |volume=2 |location=[[Glasgow]] |pages=94–101}}</ref><ref name="Danaher">{{Cite book |last=Danaher |first=Kevin |url=https://archive.org/details/yearinireland00kevi/page/167 |title=The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs |publisher=Mercier |year=1972 |isbn=1-85635-093-2 |location=Dublin |pages=[https://archive.org/details/yearinireland00kevi/page/167 167–186]}}</ref><ref name="Chadwick">{{Cite book |last=Chadwick |first=Nora |title=The Celts |publisher=Penguin |year=1970 |isbn=0-14-021211-6 |page=181}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=O'Donovan |first1=J |title=Ancient laws of Ireland, published under direction of the Commissioners for Publishing the Ancient Laws and Institutes of Ireland |last2=O'Curry |first2=E |last3=Hancock |first3=W. N. |last4=O'Mahony |first4=T |publisher=W.S. Hein |year=2000 |isbn=1-57588-572-7 |editor-last=Richey |editor-first=A. G. |editor-link=Alexander George Richey |location=[[Buffalo, New York]] |editor-last2=Hennessy |editor-first2=W. M. |editor-link2=William Maunsell Hennessy |editor-last3=Atkinson |editor-first3=R.}} (Originally published: Dublin: A. Thom, 1865–1901. Alternatively known as {{lang|la|Hiberniae leges et institutiones antiquae}}.)</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.llewellyn.com/journal/article/2514 |title=Llewellyn Worldwide – Articles: Traditional Lughnasadh with a Modern Twist |website=www.llewellyn.com |date=22 June 2015 |access-date=1 August 2017}}</ref> After the 9th century the {{lang|ga|Óenach Tailten}} was celebrated irregularly and it gradually died out.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Koch |first=John T. |title=Celtic Culture: A Historical Encyclopedia |year=2006 |pages=1201–02}}</ref> It was revived for a period in the 20th century as the [[Tailteann Games (Irish Free State)|Tailteann Games]].<ref name="McNeill" /><ref name="MacKillop">{{Cite book |last=MacKillop |first=James |title=A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-280120-1 |pages=309–10, 395–6, 76, 20}}</ref> Another Lughnasadh gathering, the {{lang|ga|Óenach Carmain}}, was held in what is now [[County Kildare]]. [[Carman]] is also believed to have been a goddess, perhaps one with a similar tale as Tailtiu.<ref name="MacKillop" /> The {{lang|ga|Óenach Carmain}} included a food market, a livestock market, and a market for foreign traders.<ref name="kelly459" />  A 15th-century version of the Irish legend ''[[Tochmarc Emire]]'' ("the Wooing of Emer") is one of the earliest documents to record these festivities.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Blumberg |first=Antonia |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/8-facts-to-know-about-lughnasadh-pagan-harvest-festival_us_579a832ee4b08a8e8b5d6134 |title=8 Facts To Know About Lughnasadh, Pagan Harvest Festival |date=29 July 2016 |work=Huffington Post |access-date=1 August 2017 |language=en-US}}</ref>

From the 18th century to the mid 20th century, many Lughnasadh customs and folklore were recorded. In 1962 ''The Festival of Lughnasa'', a study of Lughnasadh by [[folkloristics|folklorist]] [[Máire MacNeill]], was published.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.fourcourtspress.ie/books/new-year-folder-3/the-festival-of-lughnasa/ |title=Four Courts Press {{!}} The Festival of Lughnasa |website=www.fourcourtspress.ie |language=en-GB |access-date=1 August 2017}}</ref> MacNeill studied surviving Lughnasadh customs and folklore as well as the earlier accounts and medieval writings about the festival. She concluded that the evidence testified to the existence of an ancient festival around 1 August that involved the following:

<blockquote>A solemn [[First Fruits|cutting of the first of the corn]] of which an offering would be made to the deity by bringing it up to a high place and burying it; a meal of the new food and of [[bilberry|bilberries]] of which everyone must partake; a sacrifice of a sacred bull, a feast of its flesh, with some ceremony involving its hide, and its replacement by a young bull; a ritual dance-play perhaps telling of a struggle for a goddess and a ritual fight; an installation of a [carved stone] head on top of the hill and a triumphing over it by an actor impersonating Lugh; another play representing the confinement by Lugh of the monster blight or famine; a three-day celebration presided over by the brilliant young god [Lugh] or his human representative. Finally, a ceremony indicating that the interregnum was over, and the chief god in his right place again.<ref name="macneill426">MacNeill, Máire. ''The Festival of Lughnasa: A Study of the Survival of the Celtic Festival of the Beginning of Harvest''. Oxford University Press, 1962. p.426</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Croagh Patrick - geograph.org.uk - 1773515.jpg|thumb|Pilgrims climbing [[Croagh Patrick]] on [[Reek Sunday]]. It is believed that climbing hills and mountains has formed a major part of the festival since ancient times, and the Reek Sunday pilgrimage is likely a continuation of this tradition.]]

Many of the customs described by medieval writers survived into the modern era, though they were either Christianized or shorn of any pagan religious meaning. Lughnasadh occurred during a poor time of the year for the farming community when the old crops were done and the new ones not yet ready for harvest.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Gráinseach Ailt an Chaistín (St. Johnston) {{!}} The Schools' Collection|url=https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4493739/4415638/4529000|access-date=13 February 2022|website=dúchas.ie|language=en}}</ref> Many of Ireland's prominent mountains and hills were climbed at Lughnasadh. Some of the treks were re-cast as Christian pilgrimages, the most well-known being [[Reek Sunday]] – the yearly pilgrimage to the top of [[Croagh Patrick]] in late July.<ref>Monaghan, p.104</ref> Other hilltop gatherings were secular and attended mostly by the youth. On the [[Mountains of the Iveragh Peninsula|Iveragh Peninsula]], a pilgrimage to the summit of [[Drung Hill]] was part of local Lughnasadh celebrations until it died out around 1880.<ref name="Atlas">{{cite book | url=https://www.academia.edu/774555 | chapter=Iveragh’s Mountain Pilgrimages | last=Ó Carragáin | first=Tomás | editor-last=Crowley | editor-first=John | editor-last2=Sheehan | editor-first2=John G. | title=The Iveragh Peninsula: A Cultural Atlas of the Ring of Kerry | date=2009 | publisher=Cork University Press | isbn=978-1-85918-430-1}}</ref> 

In Ireland, [[bilberries]] were gathered<ref>{{Cite book |last=Monaghan |first=Patricia |title=The Encyclopedia of Celtic Mythology and Folklore |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2004 |page=45}}</ref> and there was eating, drinking, dancing, folk music, games and matchmaking, as well as athletic and sporting contests such as [[Weight throw|weight-throwing]], [[hurling]] and horse racing.<ref>MacNeill, ''The Festival of Lughnasa'', pp.142–143, 150, 180, 182</ref> At some gatherings, everyone wore flowers while climbing the hill and then buried them at the summit as a sign that summer was ending.<ref>MacNeill, ''The Festival of Lughnasa'', p.143</ref> In other places, the first sheaf of the harvest was buried.<ref>MacNeill, ''The Festival of Lughnasa'', p.421</ref> There were also faction fights, whereby two groups of young men [[Bataireacht|fought with sticks]].<ref>MacNeill, ''The Festival of Lughnasa'', p.424</ref> In 18th-century [[Lothian]], Scotland, rival groups of young men built towers of sods topped with a flag. For days, each group tried to sabotage the other's tower, and at Lughnasadh they met each other in 'battle'.<ref>MacNeill, ''The Festival of Lughnasa'', pp.369–372</ref> 

Bull sacrifices at Lughnasadh time were recorded as late as the 18th century at [[Gaeltacht Cois Fharraige|Cois Fharraige]] in Ireland, where they were offered to Crom Dubh, and at [[Loch Maree]] in Scotland, where they were offered to Saint [[Máel Ruba]].<ref>MacNeill, ''The Festival of Lughnasa'', pp.407, 410</ref> Special meals were made with the first produce of the harvest.<ref>Monaghan, p.180</ref> In the [[Scottish Highlands]], people made a special cake called the {{lang|gd|lunastain}}, which may have originated as an offering to the gods.<ref>Monaghan, p.299</ref>

Another custom that Lughnasadh shared with Imbolc and Beltane was visiting [[holy well]]s, some specifically [[clootie well]]s. Visitors to these wells would pray for health while walking [[sunwise]] around the well; they would then leave offerings, typically coins or [[wikt:clootie|clootie]]s.<ref>Monaghan, p.41</ref> Although [[bonfire]]s were lit at some of the open-air gatherings in Ireland, they were rare and incidental to the celebrations.<ref name="hutton">{{Cite book |last=Hutton |first=Ronald |title=Stations of the Sun: A History of the Ritual Year in Britain |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1996 |pages=327–330}}</ref>

Traditionally, Lughnasadh has always been reckoned as the first day of August.<ref name="Danaher166">{{Cite book |last=Danaher |first=Kevin |url=https://archive.org/details/yearinireland00kevi/page/166 |title=The Year in Ireland: Irish Calendar Customs |publisher=Mercier |year=1972 |isbn=1-85635-093-2 |location=Dublin |pages=[https://archive.org/details/yearinireland00kevi/page/166 166]}}</ref> In recent centuries, however, much of the gatherings and festivities shifted to the nearest Sundays – either the last Sunday in July or first Sunday in August. It is believed this is because the coming of the harvest was a busy time and the weather could be unpredictable, which meant work days were too important to give up. As Sunday would have been a day of rest anyway, it made sense to hold celebrations then. The festival may also have been affected by the [[Adoption of the Gregorian calendar|shift to the Gregorian calendar]].<ref name="Danaher166" />

Lughnasadh was a time of unpredictable weather in Ireland. Heavy rains known as "Lammas floods" often coincided with beginning of August and were responsible for destroying the corn.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Certain Days|url=https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4723864/4720367/4785052|access-date=13 February 2022|website=dúchas.ie|language=en}}</ref> There are many folk sayings that relate to the unpredictable weather conditions during Lughnasadh and the importance of these conditions to the harvest:

<poem>"...For Lammas floods, with crops oft havoc play,
And e'en one swept the rustic bridge away."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Glassalts {{!}} The Schools' Collection|url=https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4493776/4419623/4535151|access-date=13 February 2022|website=dúchas.ie|language=en}}</ref>
"August needs the dew as much as men need bread.
After Lammas corn ripens as much by night as by day."<ref>{{Cite web|title=Sayings of the Seasons|url=https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/5009279/5004163/5132788|access-date=13 February 2022|website=dúchas.ie|language=en}}</ref></poem>

==Today==
In Ireland some of the mountain pilgrimages have survived. By far the most popular is the Reek Sunday pilgrimage at Croagh Patrick, which attracts tens of thousands of pilgrims each year.

[[File:Puck Fair, Killorglin, Co. Kerry.jpg|thumb|The Puck Fair ''circa'' 1900, showing the feral goat (King Puck) atop his "throne"]]

The [[Puck Fair]] is held each year in early August in the town of [[Killorglin]], [[County Kerry]]. It has been traced as far back as the 16th century but is believed to be a survival of a Lughnasadh festival.<ref name="monaghan297" /> At the beginning of the three-day festival, a [[feral goat]] is brought into the town and crowned "king", while a local girl is crowned "queen". The festival includes traditional music and dancing, a parade, [[handicraft|arts and crafts]] workshops, a horse and cattle fair, and a market. It draws a great number of tourists each year.<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-33769921 "Puck Fair festival asked to leave goat out of it"]. BBC News, 4 August 2015.</ref>

In recent years, other towns in Ireland have begun holding yearly Lughnasa Festivals and Lughnasa Fairs. Like the Puck Fair, these often include traditional music and dancing, arts and crafts workshops, traditional storytelling, and markets. Such festivals have been held in [[Gweedore]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://loinneoglunasa.com/ |title=Loinneog Lúnasa |access-date=1 August 2013}}</ref> [[Sligo]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sligotourism.ie/event/sligo-lunasa-festival/ |title=Sligo Lúnasa Festival |publisher=Sligo Tourism |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515151101/http://www.sligotourism.ie/event/sligo-lunasa-festival/ |archive-date=15 May 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013 }}</ref> [[Brandon, County Kerry|Brandon]],<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.irelandview.com/festivals/kerry-feilenalughnasa.php |title=Festival of Lughnasa – Cloghane & Brandon |access-date=1 August 2013}}</ref> [[Rathangan, County Kildare|Rathangan]]<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kildare.tv/rathangan-lughnasa-festival/ |title=Rathangan Lughnasa Festival |publisher=Kildare.tv |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029213454/http://kildare.tv/rathangan-lughnasa-festival/ |archive-date=29 October 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013 }}</ref> and a number of other places. [[Craggaunowen]], an open-air museum in [[County Clare]], hosts a yearly Lughnasa Festival at which historical re-enactors demonstrate elements of daily life in [[Gaelic Ireland]]. It includes displays of replica clothing, artefacts, weapons and jewellery.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.shannonheritage.com/Events/AnnualEvents/LughnasaFestival/ |title=Lughnasa Festival at Craggaunowen |publisher=Shannon Heritage |access-date=1 August 2013}}</ref> A similar event has been held each year at [[Carrickfergus Castle]] in [[County Antrim]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.carrickadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/34999/lughnasa-fair-returns-to-carrickfergus-castle/ |title=Lughnasa Fair returns to Carrickfergus Castle |date=25 July 2013 |website=[[Carrickfergus Advertiser]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130907161821/http://www.carrickadvertiser.co.uk/articles/news/34999/lughnasa-fair-returns-to-carrickfergus-castle/ |archive-date=7 September 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013 }}</ref> In 2011 [[RTÉ]] broadcast a ''Lughnasa Live'' television program from Craggaunowen.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/lughnasa.html |title=Lughnasa Live |publisher=[[Raidió Teilifís Éireann]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130809050409/http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/lughnasa.html |archive-date=9 August 2013 |access-date=1 August 2013 }}</ref>

In the Irish diaspora survivals of the Lughnasadh festivities are often seen by some families still choosing August as the traditional time for family reunions and parties, though due to modern work schedules these events have sometimes been moved to adjacent secular holidays, such as the [[Fourth of July]] in the United States.<ref name="McNeill" /><ref name="Danaher" />

The festival is referenced in the 1990 play ''[[Dancing at Lughnasa]]'' by [[Brian Friel]], which was adapted into a [[Dancing at Lughnasa (film)|1998 film of the same name]].<ref>McGrath, F. C.. ''Brian Friel's (Post) Colonial Drama: Language, Illusion, and Politics''. Syracuse University Press, 1999. pp.234–236</ref>

===Neopaganism===
Lughnasadh is, or similar festivities based on it are, observed by some [[Modern Paganism|modern Pagans]] in general and [[Celtic neopaganism|Celtic neopagans]] in particular. Despite their common name, such Lughnasadh celebrations can differ widely. Some attempt to emulate the historic festival as much as possible,<ref name="Gallagher">{{Cite book |last1=Gallagher |first1=Eugene V. |title=Introduction to new and alternative religions in America |last2=Ashcraft |first2=W. Michael |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2006 |isbn=0-275-98713-2 |location=[[Westport, Connecticut]] |page=178}}</ref> while others (such as [[Wicca]]ns) base their celebrations on various festivals, the Gaelic festival being only one of them.<ref name="Adler1">{{Cite book |last=Adler |first=Margot |title=Drawing Down the Moon: Witches, Druids, Goddess-Worshippers, and Other Pagans in America Today |publisher=Beacon Press |year=1979 |isbn=0-8070-3237-9 |location=[[Boston]] |page=397}} – Excerpts from Manhattan Pagan Way Beltane ritual script, 1978</ref><ref name="McColman1">{{Cite book |last=McColman |first=Carl |title=Complete Idiot's Guide to Celtic Wisdom |publisher=Alpha Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-02-864417-4 |page=51}}</ref>

Neopagans usually celebrate Lughnasadh on 1 August in the Northern Hemisphere and 1 February in the Southern Hemisphere, often beginning their festivities at sunset the evening before.<ref name="SpiralDance">{{Cite book |last=Starhawk |url=https://archive.org/details/spiraldancerebir00star |title=The Spiral Dance: A Rebirth of the Ancient Religion of the Great Goddess |publisher=Harper and Row |year=1989 |isbn=0-06-250814-8 |edition=Revised |pages=[https://archive.org/details/spiraldancerebir00star/page/191 191–2] |orig-year=1979 |url-access=registration}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Drury |first=Nevill |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rwzttsI9-NwC&pg=PA63 |title=Handbook of Contemporary Paganism |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |year=2009 |isbn=9789004163737 |editor-last=Pizza |editor-first=Murphy |location=[[Leiden]], [[Netherlands]] |pages=63–67 |chapter=The Modern Magical Revival: Esbats and Sabbats |editor-last2=Lewis |editor-first2=James R}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Hume |first=Lynne |title=Witchcraft and Paganism in Australia |publisher=Melbourne University Press |year=1997 |isbn=9780522847826 |location=Melbourne}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Vos |first=Donna |title=Dancing Under an African Moon: Paganism and Wicca in South Africa |publisher=Zebra Press |year=2002 |isbn=9781868726530 |location=[[Cape Town]] |pages=79–86}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bodsworth |first=Roxanne T. |title=Sunwyse: Celebrating the Sacred Wheel of the Year in Australia |publisher=Hihorse Publishing |year=2003 |isbn=9780909223038 |location=Victoria, Australia}}</ref> Some neopagans celebrate it at the astronomical midpoint between the summer solstice and autumn equinox, or the full moon nearest this point.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/seasons.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030304154421/http://archaeoastronomy.com/seasons.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=4 March 2003 |title=Equinoxes, Solstice, Cross Quarters shown as seasonal cusps, worshipped by pagans and later religious holidays |publisher=Archaeoastronomy.com |access-date=5 March 2013}}</ref> In 2022, this astronomical midpoint falls on 7 August (Northern hemisphere) or 4 February (Southern hemisphere).<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.archaeoastronomy.com/2022.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706105725/http://www.archaeoastronomy.com/2022.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=6 July 2018 |title=2022 Equinox, Solstice & Cross-Quarter Moments |publisher=archaeoastronomy |access-date=8 July 2022}}</ref>

====Celtic Reconstructionist====
[[Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism|Celtic Reconstructionist pagans]] strive to [[Polytheistic reconstructionism|reconstruct]] [[ancient Celtic religion]]. Their practices are based on research and historical accounts,<ref name="Gallagher" /> but may be modified slightly to suit modern life. They avoid [[Religious syncretism|syncretic]] or [[Eclectic paganism|eclectic]] approaches that combine traditions from different cultures.<ref name="McColman2">McColman (2003) pp. 12, 51</ref>

Celtic Reconstructionists who follow Gaelic traditions tend to celebrate {{lang|ga|Lughnasadh|italic=no}} at the time of "first fruits", or on the full moon nearest this time. In the [[Northeastern United States]], this is often the time of the [[blueberry]] harvest, while in the [[Pacific Northwest]] the [[blackberries]] are often the festival fruit.<ref name="Danaher" /><ref name="McColman2" /> In Celtic Reconstructionism, {{lang|ga|Lughnasadh|italic=no}} is seen as a time to give thanks to the spirits and deities for the beginning of the harvest season, and to propitiate them with offerings and prayers not to harm the still-ripening crops. The god {{lang|ga|[[Lugh]]|italic=no}} is honoured by many at this time, and gentle rain on the day of the festival is seen as his presence and his bestowing of blessings. Many Celtic Reconstructionists also honour the goddess [[Tailtiu]] at {{lang|ga|Lughnasadh|italic=no}}, and may seek to keep the {{lang|ga|[[Cailleach]]an}} from damaging the crops, much in the way appeals are made to {{lang|ga|Lugh|italic=no}}.<ref name="Danaher" /><ref name="McColman2" /><ref name="Bonewits">{{Cite book |last=Bonewits |first=Isaac |title=Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism |publisher=Kensington Publishing Group |year=2006 |isbn=0-8065-2710-2 |location=New York |pages=186–7, 128–140}}</ref><ref name="McNeill2">{{Cite book |last=McNeill |first=F. Marian |title=The Silver Bough |publisher=William MacLellan |year=1957 |isbn=0-85335-161-9 |volume=1 |location=[[Glasgow]] |page=119}}</ref>

====Wicca====
[[Wicca]]ns use the names "Lughnasadh" or "[[Lammas]]" for the first of their autumn harvest festivals. It is one of the eight yearly "Sabbats" of their [[Wheel of the Year]], following Midsummer and preceding Mabon. It is seen as one of the two most auspicious times for [[handfasting (Neopaganism)|handfasting]], the other being at Beltane.<ref name="Farrar">{{Cite book |last=Farrar |first=Janet & Stewart |title=Eight Sabbats for Witches |publisher=Phoenix Publishing |year=198 |isbn=0-919345-26-3 |pages=102–3, 106}}</ref> Some Wiccans mark the holiday by baking a figure of the "corn god" in bread, and then symbolically sacrificing and eating it.<ref name="SpiralDance" />

==See also==
* [[Aonach]]
* [[Celtic calendar]]
* [[Gaelic calendar]]
* [[Wheel of the Year]]
* [[Liqiu|Lìqiū]] (立秋)
* [[First Fruits]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
* {{Cite book |last=Carmichael |first=Alexander |title=[[Carmina Gadelica]] |publisher=Lindisfarne Press |year=1992 |isbn=0-940262-50-9}}
* {{Cite book |last=Danaher |first=Kevin |url=https://archive.org/details/yearinireland00kevi |title=The Year in Ireland |publisher=Irish Books & Media |year=1962 |isbn=0-937702-13-7 |author-link=Kevin Danaher |url-access=registration}}
* {{Cite book |last=MacKillop |first=James |title=Dictionary of Celtic Mythology |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=1998 |isbn=0-19-280120-1}}
* {{Cite book |last=MacNeill |first=Máire |title=The Festival of Lughnasa |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2008 |isbn=978-0-906426-10-4 |author-link=Máire MacNeill |orig-year=1962}}
* {{Cite book |last=McNeill |first=F. Marian |title=The Silver Bough |publisher=William MacLellan |year=1959 |volume=1–4 |location=Glasgow |author-link=F. Marian McNeill}}
* {{Cite journal |last=Melia |first=Daniel F. |date=January 1978 |title=The Grande Troménie at Locronan: A major Breton Lughnasa celebration |journal=The Journal of American Folklore |volume=91 |pages=528–542 |number=359|doi=10.2307/539572 |jstor=539572 }}

{{Wheel of the Year}}
{{Celts}}
{{Celtic mythology topics}}
{{Contemporary_witchcraft}}
{{Ireland topics}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:August observances]]
[[Category:Cross-quarter days]]
[[Category:Culture of Ireland]]
[[Category:Culture of Scotland]]
[[Category:Culture of the Isle of Man]]
[[Category:Gaelic culture]]
[[Category:Holidays in Scotland]]
[[Category:Irish mythology]]
[[Category:Lugh]]
[[Category:Modern pagan holidays]]
[[Category:Scottish mythology]]