Lammas: The
First Harvest
Once upon a Lammas Night
When corn rigs are bonny,
Beneath the Moon's unclouded light,
I held awhile to Annie...
Although in the heat of a Mid-western summer it might be difficult
to discern, the festival of Lammas (Aug 1st) marks the end
of summer and the beginning of fall. The days now grow visibly
shorter and by the time we've reached autumn's end (Oct 31st),
we will have run the gamut of temperature from the heat of
August to the cold and (sometimes) snow of November. And in
the midst of it, a perfect Mid-western autumn.
The history of Lammas is
as convoluted as all the rest of the old folk holidays. It
is of course a cross-quarter day, one of the four High Holidays
or Greater Sabbats of Witchcraft, occurring 1/4 of a year
after Beltane. It's true astrological point is 15 degrees
Leo, which occurs at 1:18 am CDT, Aug 6th this year (1988),
but tradition has set August 1st as the day Lammas is typically
celebrated. The celebration proper would begin on sundown
of the previous evening, our July 31st, since the Celts reckon
their days from sundown to sundown.
However, British Witches
often refer to the astrological date of Aug 6th as Old Lammas,
and folklorists call it Lammas O.S. ('Old Style'). This date
has long been considered a 'power point' of the Zodiac, and
is symbolized by the Lion, one of the 'tetramorph' figures
found on the Tarot cards, the World and the Wheel of Fortune
(the other three figures being the Bull, the Eagle, and the
Spirit). Astrologers know these four figures as the symbols
of the four 'fixed' signs of the Zodiac, and these naturally
align with the four Great Sabbats of Witchcraft. Christians
have adopted the same iconography to represent the four gospel-writers.
'Lammas' was the medieval
Christian name for the holiday and it means 'loaf-mass', for
this was the day on which loaves of bread were baked from
the first grain harvest and laid on the church altars as offerings.
It was a day representative of 'first fruits' and early harvest.
In Irish Gaelic, the feast
was referred to as 'Lugnasadh', a feast to commemorate the
funeral games of the Irish sun-god Lugh. However, there is
some confusion on this point. Although at first glance, it
may seem that we are celebrating the death of the Lugh, the
god of light does not really die (mythically) until the autumnal
equinox. And indeed, if we read the Irish myths closer, we
discover that it is not Lugh's death that is being celebrated,
but the funeral games which Lugh hosted to commemorate the
death of his foster- mother, Taillte. That is why the Lugnasadh
celebrations in Ireland are often called the 'Tailltean Games'.
The time went by with
careless heed
Between the late and early,
With small persuasion she agreed
To see me through the barley...
One common feature of the
Games were the 'Tailltean marriages', a rather informal marriage
that lasted for only 'a year and a day' or until next Lammas.
At that time, the couple could decide to continue the arrangement
if it pleased them, or to stand back to back and walk away
from one another, thus bringing the Tailltean marriage to
a formal close. Such trial marriages (obviously related to
the Wiccan 'Handfasting') were quite common even into the
1500's, although it was something one 'didn't bother the parish
priest about'. Indeed, such ceremonies were usually solemnized
by a poet, bard, or shanachie (or, it may be guessed, by a
priest or priestess of the Old Religion).
Lammastide was also the traditional
time of year for craft festivals. The medieval guilds would
create elaborate displays of their wares, decorating their
shops and themselves in bright colors and ribbons, marching
in parades, and performing strange, ceremonial plays and dances
for the entranced onlookers. The atmosphere must have been
quite similar to our modern-day Renaissance Festivals, such
as the one celebrated in near-by Bonner Springs, Kansas, each
fall.
A ceremonial highlight of
such festivals was the 'Catherine wheel'. Although the Roman
Church moved St. Catherine's feast day all around the calender
with bewildering frequency, it's most popular date was Lammas.
(They also kept trying to expel this much-loved saint from
the ranks of the blessed because she was mythical rather than
historical, and because her worship gave rise to the heretical
sect known as the Cathari.) At any rate, a large wagon wheel
was taken to the top of a near-by hill, covered with tar,
set aflame, and ceremoniously rolled down the hill. Some mythologists
see in this ritual the remnants of a Pagan rite symbolizing
the end of summer, the flaming disk representing the sun-god
in his decline. And just as the sun king has now reached the
autumn of his years, his rival or dark self has just reached
puberty.
Many commentators have bewailed
the fact that traditional Gardnerian and Alexandrian Books
of Shadows say very little about the holiday of Lammas, stating
only that poles should be ridden and a circle dance performed.
This seems strange, for Lammas is a holiday of rich mythic
and cultural associations, providing endless resources for
liturgical celebration.
Corn rigs and barley
rigs,
Corn rigs are bonny!
I'll not forget that happy night
Among the rigs with Annie!
[Verse quotations by Robert Burns, as handed down through
several
Books of Shadows.]
| Authors Details: Lammas - Mike Nichols
- Unknown Web Site |
More Articles On The Wiccan Sabbats
(The Eight
Wiccan Sabbats)
(Winter Solstice - Yule)
(Imbolc)
(Ostara)
(Beltane)
(Summer
Solstice)
(Lammas)
(Mabon)
(Halloween
/ Samhain) |
