Once Around the Sun

      

By Ellen Evert Hopman

The Festival of Lughnasad, Celebrated at the end of July and the first few weeks of August By Ellen Evert Hopman Lughnasad is the Celtic celebration of the “first fruits” and the start of the grain harvest. Athletic, music and poetry competitions, horse racing, and displays of crafts and arts still take place at this time. “Lug” is the old name for the Celtic God Lugh and “Nasad” means an assembly. The Nick Names of Lugh The Great God Lugh was very popular amongst the ancient Celts. The only other deity who was as popular as Lugh was Brighid who became Saint Brigid in Christian times. As you know, when someone is popular people like to give them nick names. Lugh had many such names and here are a few of them;  Lugh Lámfada “Lugh of the long arm” due to the length of his battle spear and how far he could throw it Lugh Lonnbéimnech “Lugh, Fierce Striker” Lugh Ildánach "Lugh, skilled in many arts" Lugh Samildánach "Lugh, equally skilled in all the arts" Lugh Macnia "Lugh, youthful warrior-hero" Lugh Conmac "Lugh, hound-son" because Lugh's son was the hero Cú Chulainn, the Hound of Ulster, who is believed by many to be an incarnation of Lugh. Lugh Ollamh Érenn “Lugh, Chief Poet of Ireland   The History of Lughnasad Lugh created the festival of Lughnasadh to celebrate his victory over Balor and the Fomorians, to give thanks for the first fruits of the harvest, and to honor his foster-mother Tailtiu 1 as her funeral games. It is said that Tailtiu died of exhaustion on August 1, after clearing the plains of Ireland so they could be farmed. She is buried at Teltown, County Meath. Óenachs 2 are great fairs and the Óenach Tailtien was the place where kings met under truce to settle their disputes. Lughnasad is celebrated from the end of July to mid-August, with great fairs and competitions. When the Gregorian calendar was adopted in 1782 eleven days were dropped to make the calendar astronomically correct. Thus, Lughnasad rituals may be performed on August 1 (new style) or August 12 (old style). Lughnasad is celebrated on hill tops, on the tops of mountains, on riverbanks and by ponds and lakes. Horses, which are solar animals, are driven through water as an act of ritual purification. Offerings such as newly made butter, flowers and fruits are left on or beside holy wells and water ways. Loaves of bread made with the new grain are shared. There are music, dance and poetry competitions. Debts are settled, weddings or hand-fastings (trial marriages of a year and a day) may be performed, contracts signed and new laws declared. 1 Tailtiu (Tail-tee-ew) foster-mother of Lugh who some see as the Land Goddess who gives of herself so the people may eat. 2 Óenach (EE-ah-noch) a great fair where competitions of all kinds were held, marriages made and disputes settled. Games and Competitions In ancient times Lughnasad was all about games and competitions; wrestling, spear-throwing, running, high and long jumping and horse racing. There were also hurling, weight-throwing, staff-fighting, arm wrestling, ball throwing, archery and tug-of-war. Poets even competed for the title of Chief Poet. In modern times there may be “Bonnie Baby” competitions, dog shows, judging of crafts and the like. You can read a story, make a traditional recipe, and find old fashioned games to play in the book “Once Around the Sun – Stories, Crafts and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth year” (Destiny Books) Once Around the Sun is a Coalition of Visionary Resources (COVR) Gold Winner for 2023 in the category of children’s books. “Once Around the Sun is a delightful family treasure. Cultures throughout the world have used storytelling as a way to pass on knowledge, and this book’s stories and poems alone make it worth owning. Yet, its recipes and activities add another dimension that makes this book an invaluable resource for parents wanting to share ancient cultures and beliefs with their children. Young ones are sure to love activities such as making a magic wand and writing secret rune messages with invisible ink. I would highly recommend this fun and informative book for any family that wishes to explore the seasonal stories and celebrations.” ― Robin Corak https://elleneverthopman.com