Celebrating Lammas: The First Harvest

A rustic Lammas altar featuring fresh-baked bread, glowing candles, wheat bundles, and crystals on a dark wooden table in a moody forest setting—honoring the first harvest with earthy, witchy magic.

August 1st marks the first harvest. Known as Lughnasadh (pronounced Loo-NAS-ah) or Lammas in early Britain, this day sits between Litha and Mabon on the Wheel of the Year. It’s called a cross-quarter holiday because it doesn’t fall on a solstice or equinox, but rather in the in-between.

Lammas is a celebration of the grain harvest—a crucial time of year. Grain is notoriously tricky: if left too long in the fields, it spoils and can’t be used for bread. But harvesting too early risked running out before the next season, potentially leading to hunger. Lammas became both a celebration and a reminder of when the wheat harvest could begin.

This was also when the first loaves of bread from the new grain were baked. The name Lammas comes from Old English for “Loaf Mass.” In early Christianity, these first loaves were often consecrated by the church as holy offerings.

Lughnasadh is the Celtic festival celebrated on this day, honoring Lugh, the god of craftsmanship. Lugh is known for many skills: blacksmithing, wheel-making, and fighting among them. The origins of this holiday are debated. Some say it marks Lugh’s wedding feast, while others claim it honors his foster mother, Tailtiu, with a harvest feast in her memory. Whatever the origin, both are beautiful reasons to celebrate.

Today, modern pagans celebrate Lammas by baking bread and cakes, holding harvest rituals to honor their achievements so far in the year, and updating their altars. This is a lovely time to add symbols of the harvest like tiny scythes, corn, grapes, wheat bundles, and other seasonal crops. Sharing bread and wine, crafting, and decorating your space in honor of Lugh are all wonderful ways to mark the day.

Below, you’ll find an easy recipe for soda bread to help you celebrate. We hope you enjoy them and have a wonderful and blessed Lammas.

Blessed Be!!

Irish soda bread recipe:

• https://www.thecrescentperch.com/post/soda-bread-recipe

Where I got my info:

• https://www.bpl.org/blogs/post/the-origins-and-practices-of-lammas-lughnasad/

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/Lammas