Looking forward to Lugh!

...Upon a singing Summer day,

At dawn on Lammastide

I saw the Craftsman smiling

On sunbeams he did ride

He brings us light and knowledge,

To help our fellow men

He sang, “Blessed Be and Blessed Be

And Blessed Be again!”

~ John Bethancourt

One of the reasons I love the sabbat of Lughnasadh so much is because it marks the downslope of summer and the very beginnng of my favorite season ~ fall! Lughnasadh, also known to some as Lammas, is essentially the first harvest of the year, followed by Mabon/Autumn Equinox the second harvest, and then finally Samhain which is the third and last harvest of the year.  Samhain, by the way, is my favorite sabbat celebration!

While the word Lammas translates to "loaf mass," Lughnasadh literally means, "the chase of Lugh." Lugh is a Celtic sun deity whose name means "shinning one" and is a god of the hunt. He was a master of the spear and a skilled craftsman who was known as a legend in battle. It is also worth noting that his name, Lugh, is old Irish/Gaelic for the month of August.

With this year's summer being by far the most hot and humid we have had in a long time, the start of fall will be a most welcome change indeed!