Lammas
(aka Ad vincula Sancti Petri apostoli (The Chains of Peter the Apostle); the Feast of Saints
Ethelwold, the Seven Brothers, Alphonsus and Kyned; The Birth and/or the Passion of the
Maccabees; Loafday; Loafmass; Hla-mas; Bron Trogain; Thanksgiving; Harvest Home.
See also Lughnasadh/Lughnsad/Lughsnaad
and other spellings. The 1st)
This page was created by Marc Carlson
It was last edited 9 June 2004
Lammas is Anglo-Saxon/English for "Loaf-Mass" or
"Hlaf-mass", and is pronounced "LAH-mus."
The first day of the harvest season, the first time that you recognize
a change in the length of day. The ripening grain heralds the coming
of Autumn. It is a festival of plenty and prosperity.
Interpretations
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The Lammas Fair in Devon traditionally began the Tuesday before the 3rd
Wednesday in July, and lasts for 2-3 days. Rush bearing and hay strewing
featured prominantly.
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Celebration of the Corn King.
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'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.
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Lammastide was a time of year for medieval craft guilds to 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.
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Picnics and parties, breaking bread with friends. State Fairs in
agricultural areas. Make a corn dolly charm out of the first grain
you harvest or acquire. Bake a sacred loaf bread and give a portion of
it to Mother Earth with a prayer of appreciation. Make prayers for a good
harvest season. Do prosperity magic. Harvest herbs in a sacred way for
use in charms and rituals. Kindle a Lammas fire with sacred wood and dried
herbs. If you live in or near a farming region, attend a public harvest
festival, such as a corn or apple festival.
Problems