Lughnasad is fast approaching! As I write this, the Bee Balm is coming into bloom, tomatoes are bursting with their first green fruits, and the raspberries are ripe. Bee Balm, of course, is a great favorite of the bees, butterflies and the hummingbirds and will attract them. It also has the reputation of attracting Fairies. Local wheat fields are already yellow as the stalks of grain dry out in the sun.
A doe has been ravaging the edges of the woodland garden, which now looks
like someone took a weed whacker to the Phlox and the Hostas. Thankfully she
has avoided the Elderberry, Bee Balm and the Angelica.
I have been keeping up with national and world events and find myself
teetering between gratitude and despair. I am grateful that Great Nature is
still producing; weeds, wild edibles and flowers are prolific and there is
birdsong all around. At the same time I feel that our American democratic
experiment is hanging by a thread as violent mobs empower themselves with
deadly weapons of war, ready to do the bidding of the next cult leader.
In ancient times Lughnasad was a time of tension and worry. The crops were
not yet fully ripe and one never knew if there would be enough or too much
rain. As with all ancient Earth festivals, rituals were called for, to
appease the nature spirits. At the same time great fairs and competitions
were held; contests of music, poetry, arts, and horse racing. It was also
the best time for marriage – because you knew for certain if your intended
spouse was smart enough to have created a healthy herd or garden.
In Celtic Scotland, Gaul and Ireland, the deity of the occasion was Lug
(Lugus, Lugh). He was associated with the Lughnasad festival which He
founded in honor of His foster-mother Tailtiu who had died of exhaustion
after clearing the Wood of Cuan in Ireland, in order to prepare the land for
plowing. Similar Lúnasdal festivals were held in Scotland, in honor of the
local divine Mother Goddess of the land. Lugh was also Master of every Art.
In the Christian period many sacred sites associated with Lug were
re-dedicated to Saint Michael.
TRADITIONAL PRACTICES AT LUGHNASAD AND LÚNASDAL
“Offerings of butter are made to lochs (lakes) at Lúnasdal. This practice is
said to protect the cattle, and the poor can collect the butter (although in
general it is bad luck to eat gifts that are meant for the Fairies). Bread
can be left as a gift for the Spirits and a rag can be tied to a sacred tree
such as a Rowan.”
*These rags are called “clooties” (little cloths) in Scotland and are
usually affixed to a tree near a holy well after first dipping the clootie
into the water and pressing it to any part of you that is ailing.”
“Every river is under the protective care of a particular Goddess. Offerings
of flowers, fruits, silver, and other items should be given in thanks to the
local River Goddess of your bio-region, yearly (usually at Lúnasdal). The
herb Saint John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum) is considered to be a perfect
balance of fire and water and a sacred talisman of protection and defense
for the home and barn.”
“In some areas it (Lughnasad, Lúnasdal) marks the celebration of the ‘first fruits’ of the harvest and the ritual cutting of the first sheaf of new grain. Christians adopted this festival and re-named it ‘Loafmas’ and loaves were baked from the new grain and placed on the altar to be blessed.”
“Grain from the first sheaf of the harvest is dried and ground and the head of the clan should be the first to taste the new flour. If the harvest is poor a more genial member of the tribe is chosen to taste the first grinding, because the disposition of the ‘first taster’ predicts the harmony of the family in the coming year.”
“A small triangle shaped corner of the last field to be harvested is left
untouched for the Fairies.”
“Part of the final sheaf to be cut is saved to be fed to the work mare
and her foal on New Year’s morning, thus transferring the luck
of the harvest to the next year. In northern areas such as Orkney a
‘bikkobikko’ (bitchbitch) or straw dog is also made from the
last sheaf and hung from a farm building for luck. A portion of the
grain is fashioned into a Kern Doll and a bannock is baked
from some of the grain of the last sheaf, as a way of ingesting the Spirit
of the corn and the luck that is in it. The last person to bring in
grain is forced to eat a piece of buttered bread before he or she
is allowed into the farmyard (to cancel bad luck).”
“Rain on Lúnasdal is a special blessing and a very good omen.”
The above are quotes from “Scottish Herbs and Fairy Lore” (Pendraig
Publishing) which you can find here:
https://www.amazon.com/Scottish-Herbs-Fairy-Ellen-Hopman/dp/1936922010/ref=s
r_1_1?s=books&geniuslink=true
INVOCATION AND BLESSINGS FOR GRINDING THE QUERN
Mr. Henry Whyte, (Fionn) read a wonderful paper on “Some Ancient Celtic Customs” to the Gaelic Society of Glasgow which was published in Volume I of their transactions (1891). He included an ancient song for grinding the quern – both an invocation and a blessing.
“The operation of grinding with the quern, was usually performed by two women, sitting opposite each other on the floor. Underneath the quern was spread a dry hide, called the craicionn bràthain, to keep the meal clean. Song was essential to the operation, and several quern songs have been preserved. The following may be accepted as a specimen. It was collected by the late D. C. MacPherson, Edinburgh, the ‘Abrach’ of Gaelic literature, and published by him in his collection of Gaelic songs called ‘An Duanaire.’ The translation is by Mr. M. MacFarlane, a member of this Society.”
THE QUERN CROON
CHORUS –
Sae merrilie,
Sae cheerilie,
Ca roun’ the quern.
Not sparinglie,
But readilie,
And steadilie.
0, be the grain blest,
The poke and the rest.
Each heap, as it’s prest,
0′ the gradden grist.
And blest be the quern
The grip and the gearin
And ilka bit airn
Belangs until’t.
Aye south about wheel
And a’ shall gae weel;
The bonnie white meal
Will be grand to eat.
Come, gar it spin roun’
Keepin time wi our tune.
And nane shall be stow’n
Tae Fairy Land.
CHORUS –
The south about gar it gae spinnin’;
Fu steadily gar it row;
Aye south about gar it gae spinnin’;
And nane shall tae Fairy knowe.
O’ ca awa till ye be pantin’,
Till the sweat come on your brow;
The bairnies hae lang been wantin,
The guidman has fasted too.
Gin my kye in glens were roamin’,
Or browsin’ by yonder cairn,
My gudeman nae mair at gloamin’
Need be ca’in at the quern.
Come han’ me, afore I famish,
A gowpen my mouth tae fill;
There’s naethin’ will hunger banish
Like grist frae our wee mill.
“It is impossible to give anything like a literal translation of this quern croon. In the first verse a blessing is invoked on the sack containing the corn – or barley – on the grain itself, on the husking-mortar and each heap of parched corn. In the second verse a blessing is invoked on the quern and all that pertains thereto, while in the third and fourth verses, the operator is enjoined to turn the quern in a right-ward direction if he would wish the meal to be nutritious, and if this be done, none will go to the fairy-mound. This belief in turning the quern to right-ward, is not confined to grinding with the quern, but is applied on all occasions as enjoined by the proverb – ‘Deiseil air gach ni,’ (The sunward course with everything.) There are several Gaelic proverbs which refer to the quern ‘Is feairrde bràth a breacadh gun a bristeadh’ (A quern is the better of being picked without being broken.) Another proverb runs ‘Gun aon tàmh air beul na bràthan, ‘s gun aon ghràinn’ air chionn an làtha’ (Without ceasing of the quern, and not a grain at the end of the day) i.e., the fruit of the grinding or ” torradh ” being carried away by the fairies as fast as it was made. It will be observed that as the speed of the quern increases, the measure of the song changes.”
From Celtic Monthly: A Monthly Magazine for Highlanders, Volume 19, Archibald Sinclair, Celtic Press, 1911
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Lughnasad blessings on all who read this! May your harvests be bountiful and your fires bright!
