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"Lughnasadh," by Nadi Spencer
Lammas & Lughnasadh
Aug 1
Other Scottish Country Dances for this Day
Today's Musings, History & Folklore
"Then let us toast John Barleycorn,
Each man a glass in hand;
And may his great posterity
Ne'er fail in old Scotland!"
~ John Barleycorn, Robert Burns, 1782
Happy Lammas with a day for baking and a night for dancing with this reel for 3 couples danced to the tune of "Corn Rigs"! The Gaelic festival of Lammas (Lughnasadh) marks the beginning of the harvest season. Celebrated in Scotland since medieval times and also known as the ‘Gule of August,’ it was customary on this day to bring a loaf made from the new crop to church. The loaf was blessed and often used in protection rituals to ensure health and prosperity for people and animals throughout the next quarter of the Celtic year. One such ritual involved breaking the Lammas bread into four pieces and placing them at the four corners of the barn to protect the garnered grain from evil spirits!Lammas bread loaves were often made in shapes such as wheat, owls, figures of the ‘corn god’ or personification of the harvest (John Barleycorn), and other symbolic forms. Other offerings to appease the spirits included Lammas good luck charms like a ‘besom’ (a bundle of twigs), green Lammas ribbons, and sprigs of mint. Eat, drink, dance, and be merry! Happy Lammas! 🌾 🍞
Lammas Nights
August 1st is Lammas Day, a ancient harvest festival still celebrated today.
On this day it was customary to bring to church a loaf made from the new crop, which began to be harvested at Lammastide, which falls at the halfway point between the summer Solstice and Autumn September Equinox.
The loaf was blessed, and in Anglo-Saxon England it might be employed afterwards to work magic: a book of Anglo-Saxon charms directed that the lammas bread be broken into four bits, which were to be placed at the four corners of the barn, to protect the garnered grain.
In the weeks before harvest, communities were at their highest risk of starving, as stocks from the previous harvest came close to being depleted – Lammas Day heralded the new harvest and hopefully a return to times of plenty. In the Every-Day Book (published in 1838), author William Hone described celebrations held by Edinburgh farmers which included the building of towers, with communities competing to knock down each other’s towers. This was a boisterous and often dangerous contest, at which participants were occasionally killed and often injured!
For more on Lammas customs, click the Lammas owl loaf!
Click the dance cribs or description below to link to a printable version of the dance!
