Lughnasadh
Thu, Aug 01
|All Day
Lughnasadh, celebrated annually on August 1, is a Gaelic festival observed by the Irish, Scottish, Manx, Celtic neopagans, and Wiccans to mark the start of the harvest season. ‘Lugh,’ a mythical Irish god, is said to have created Lughnasadh to honor his foster mother ‘Tailtiu.’
Time & Location
Aug 01, 2024, 12:00 AM
All Day
About the event
Lughnasadh’ comes from ‘Lugh,’ an Irish god, and ‘nasad,’ which means ‘assembly.’ In Irish mythology, Lugh created Lughnasadh as a funeral feast and athletic competition in honor of his mother ‘Tailtiu,’ who died of exhaustion after clearing the plains of Ireland in preparation for farming. Lugh, a prominent mythical Irish god, is often portrayed as a warrior, king, master craftsman, and savior.
“The Festival of Lughnasa,” written in 1962 by Máire MacNeill, gives a comprehensive account of Lughnasadh folklore in ancient times. Its theme is a struggle for the harvest between Lugh and Crom Dubh, another mythical god who stores the grain, which Lugh seizes for humanity. Often, this is portrayed as a struggle for ‘Eithne,’ a woman who symbolizes the grain. Also, Lugh combats and destroys another figure representing blight. ‘Óenach Tailten’ or ‘Aonach Tailteann’ was a ceremony held during Lughnasadh in commemoration of Tailtiu. Sporting contests that were similar to the ancient Olympic Games, music, storytelling, law proclamations, horse riding, trading, and trial marriages took place in this festival.
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