Lammas : "Loaf Mass"

Merry Lammas! In the Temperate North, Lammas marks the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn. It is the consummation of the Earth and Sun, producing the first fruits of the season. Grains were the life-blood of most ancient peoples, and the first harvest of the fields in Celtic regions took place at this time of year.  Lammas is marked by ritual harvesting and recreation in which the entire clan or village was expected to take part.

First Harvest

Lammas can essentially be translated as “loaf mass”. Ancient peoples would gather together to celebrate the first harvest, taking time to be in a special natural site such as a sacred well, grove of trees, mountain, or hilltop. Afterwards, in order to begin the harvest, the whole clan, family, or tribe would gather in the field at dawn, dressed in their best. The leader of the group would harvest the first sheaf of wheat, whirl it sunwise around her/his head three times, and all would give thanks for the bounty to come.

Grain magic

Grains are the bones of nutrition and have been passed down from our ancestors for centuries. Every single agricultural people has a sustaining grain they treasure. This is a beautiful way to connect with your ancestors -- find out what grain they ate and eat it too.

In recent years, grains have been villainized as the cause of illness in many communities. However, considering humans have been consuming grains for tens of thousands of years, it bears considering the modification and processing of modern-day grains a little more deeply. Actually, it is not the grains themselves, but the adulteration of hierloom grains with GMO grains, as well as stripping of the grain of all its nutrients during processing. This new model of growing grains feeds consumerist-oriented farming systems interested primarily in profit and not in our wellness. Genetically modified and refined grains are harmful to your body, and can damage your digestive system to the point that you no longer have a healthy and diverse enough gut biome to digest proteins properly. This can lead to diagnosis of gluten/lactose/egg/fillintheblank intolerance.

I encourage you to look long and hard at the quality of your food overall, and eat as many organic, non-GMO whole foods as possible. Cooking your food is also important in order to unlock nutrients and increase bio-availability. Healing your relationship with your ancestral grains can be a path towards de-colonizing your gut and nourishing yourself on the deepest level.

Coming together as a community

At Lammastime all disputes were put on hold. Couples were expected to set aside their enmities, as all needed to come together to successfully pull in the harvest. Once the harvest was done, the last cartload was driven in by the Harvest King and Queen as everyone else tried their best to splash the cart with water as it was navigated back to the processing area. A dry cart was good luck. Another tradition was having a reaper bring in the last sheaf. A lady waited at the threshold with a bucket of water, and if he evaded it and arrived into the storage area dry, his prize was a kiss.

Lammas was not just marked by hard work. The community took time to recreate together, and would visit sacred wells, make altars of the best fruits and vegetables from the fields, dance circular dances and play games together. This gathering for harvest fun is still alive today in the tradition of fairs being held at this time of year, where we bring our families to play, feast on decadent foods,  ride the Ferris Wheel, and judge the livestock of up-and-coming farmers.  

Feasts would be held under a sacred tree, and berries gathered and baked into delicious treats for all to enjoy. Lammas was a time of sweet togetherness, and this tradition carries on today, with families tending to vacation in August and bakers and foragers filling their cupboards with fruit pies, jams, and breads. 

Handfasting

Lammas is also a traditional time for handfasting. In the spring, many “greenwood marriages” would have taken place, and couples with a child on the way had theopportunityy to decide if they wanted to marry. If a couple wished to bind themselves together as a family to help each other with the harvest, raise children, and share a home, then their first commitment took place at Lammas and was for one year and a day. This commitment was made in front of the community with the ritual of handfasting. The following Lammas, the couple would examine their commitment, and could then commit for however many years each party desired.

It is also a time of renewing commitments, as pagan marriages were not always done for life and instead could be a series of commitments re-visited at Lammastime. In many Celtic tribes, at Beltaine the women & children would ascend into the hills to tend the herds of cattle, goatsorr sheep while the men stayed below to war, hunt, and farm. Lammas marked the return of women from the hills and the reunification of families. This provided an opportunity for couples to re-forge their love and make heartfelt commitments for the winter to come.

Consider Lammas an auspicious time for engagements, weddings, and of course breakups and divorces. Generally speaking, it is a good time to have heartfelt conversations about the future of any relationship. You can also capture this energy to commit or re-commit to whatever you wish to be “married” to — your passionate work, The Goddess, a Deity you wish to embody, your career, your children, your acts of service, or your precious self. 

CELEBRATING Lammas

You can celebrate by setting aside special time with your family or friends to celebrate the end of summer in a natural setting. Make an altar to the land with the best fruits, herbs, and flowers from your garden (or local farmer’s market) to carry on the tradition of recognizing the earth as our Mother. Once the altar is made, walk three times around the space, voicing your thanks for the bounty of the harvest.

This is also a time to cook with grains. Included in this post is my recipe for delicious and hearty Oat Bread. However, you can make anything, even a simple batch of pancakes or cornbread to celebrate our long relationship with the grains of the earth. 

Berry picking is also high on my list of ways to celebrate. If you have the time, bake a pie! If not, enjoy stuffing your face with delicious berries and storing the rest in the freezer for another day. 

Overall, Lammas is a time of togetherness. Consider joining our ancestors in hill-climbing by inviting your loved ones on a hike or to spend a day with you by your favorite body of water. Take time to relax and enjoy the ones you love, for the hard work in the months ahead will feel much better if you do. 

May it be. 

In Love,

Susan Marie

P.S. Check out this downloadable Recipe Card for Lammas Oat Bread!