Lughnasadh or Lammas (August 1) is the time of the first harvest, when the plants of spring wither and drop their fruits or seeds for our use as well as to ensure future crops.  Mystically, so too does the God lose his strength as the Sun rises father in the South each day and the nights grow longer.  The Goddess watches in sorrow and joy as She realized that the God is dying, and yet lives on inside Her and Her Child.

      Lughnasadh, also known as August Eve, Feast of Bread, Harvest Home and Lammas, wasn't necessarily observed on this day.  It originally coincided with the first reapings.    As summer passes, Wiccans remember its warmth and bounty in good we eat.  Every meal is an act of attunement with nature, and we are reminded that nothing in the universe is constant.

 Lughnasadh Lore:

      It is appropriate to plant the seeds from the fruit consumed in ritual.  If they sprout, grow the plant with love and as a symbol of your connection with the Goddess and God.  Wheat weaving (the making of corn dollies, etc.) is an appropriate activity for Lughnasadh.  Visits to fields, orchards,  lakes and wells are also traditional.

      The foods of Lughnasadh include bread, blackberries and all berries, acorns (leached of their poisons first), crab apples, all grains and locally ripe produce.  A cake is sometimes baked, and cider is used in place of wine.

      If you do make a figure of the God from bread, it can be used for the Simple Feast.

 Lughnasadh Ritual:
      Place upon the altar sheaves of wheat, barley or oats, fruit and breads, perhaps a loaf fashioned in the figure of the Sun or a man to represent the God.  Corn dollies, symbolic of the Goddess, can be present there as well.
      Arrange the altar, light the candles and censer, and cast the Circle of stones (any familiar casting of circle will do)
      Recite the Blessing Chant. (free worded style, can be used)
      Invoke the Goddess and Got (invite them to attend)
      Stand before the altar, holding aloft the sheaves of grain, saying these or similar words:
         “Now is the time of the First Harvest,
         when the bointies of nature gives of themselves
         so that we may survive.
         O God of the ripening fields, Lord of the Grain,
         grant me the understanding of sacrifice as you
         prepare to deliver yourslef under the sickle of the
         Goddess and journey to the lands of eternal summer.
         O Goddess of the Dark Moon,
         teach me the secrets of rebirth
         As the Sun loses its strength and the nights grow cold.�?/FONT>

      Rub the heads of the wheat with your finger so that the grains fall onto the altar.  Lift a piece of fruit and bite it, savoring its flavor, and say:

“I partake of the first harvest, mixing its energies
         with mine that I may continue my quest for the starry
         wisdom of perfection.
         O Lady of the Moon and Lord of the Sun,
         gracious ones before Whom the stars halt their courses,
         I offer my thanks for the continuing fertility of the earth.
         May the nodding grain loose its seeds to be buried in
         The Mother's breast, ensuring rebirth in the warmth
         of the coming spring.�?/FONT>

      Consume the rest of the fruit.

      Works of magic, if necessary, may follow.
      Celebrate the Simple Feast.
      The circle is released.