Happy Lughnasadh

Many people get hung up on this Old Irish word. Modern Irish spells it Lúnasa, and that is how to pronounce it. It's not as complex as it seems when you know.

This is a festival of the god Lugh, my patron deity, as an honor to his foster-mother Tailtiu.

Some Christians celebrate lammas, or loaf mas, on this day. This is a reference to the first autumnal harvest, the grain harvest. Grains from the fields are harvested and stored for the coming winter. It is a festival of bounty and of preparation.

Once again, the ministry that put on the Beltane festival attempted to hold a ritual. Just like the attempt at the Litha, the weather had other plans. We feasted inside as the rain and thunder roared outside and then chatted and told stories into the night. Even without a ritual, I think it is perfectly wonderful to spend a sabbat in fellowhip.

Because this is a feast day of my patron god, however, I did light a candle to his honor, and Tailtiu's honor, when I returned home in the wee hours of the morning.