Though I'm already talking about Samhain, before we get there, we need to stop off and visit Lammas. I won't go into a bunch of details about what Lammas (or Lughnasadh) is - if you are here, you probably have a pretty good grasp on it, and if not there's just tons of info on the web about it.
What I'd like to do is give you an some ideas on some simple ways to celebrate this season of the first harvest. Most of these can be done alone, with friends, or family. I'd love hear your ideas as well!
Lammas Activities:
- Bake bread.
- Take the kids for a tour of a bakery (call ahead, of course, and make arrangements).
- "Sacrifice" your bad habits or negative emotions by throwing a symbol of them into the sabbat fire (or your BBQ grill - it works!)
- Bless your growing gardens.
- Harvest foods from your garden (or visit a farmer's market for a fresh, local harvest).
- Bless your gardening tools.
- If your garden is abundant, share the harvest with friends, or with a food bank.
- Visit a "pick your own" farm. Blueberries are ripe this time of year, and are a traditional Lammas food! Plus, the kids will love berry picking.
- Do some prosperity magic.
- Start magical or medicinal oils or vinegars with fresh herbs.
- Make a corn dolly.
- Start brewing a batch of beer or mead.
- Help the kids make "bread" out of play dough and let dry (or oven bake, depending on dough directions). Display on your altar.
- Buy or make bubbles. Whisper your a bad habit or negative emotion you'd like to reid yourself of before you blow each bubble. Watch your habits drift away.
- Get out and play games! If you have a group of people, get your "Red Rover, Red Rover" on!
- Make a harvest collage. Includes seeds, pictures of bread and corn. Create a prayer or chant to write on the page.
- Make a seed or corn necklace.
- Educate yourself on honeybees, their declining numbers, and why they are so very important to future harvests.
- Find a historical farm that you can tour. Explain to your kids where food really comes from!
- Throw bread out to the birds (or find a place to feed the ducks or pigeons) and share your harvest with the animals that share our earth.
- Harvest some herbs and create smudge sticks
21 Comments:
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What a great post! I got inspired. I am going to bake bread! Yeeih!
I just learned how to bake real bread ( from scratch) this year. I have been looking forward to making a loaf, and carving a pentacle in it all year! Love the post!
This is such a wonderful list - can't wait to do so many of the things on it!!! Thank you for posting :)
BTW, just to prove my total newness to this path, when I first saw your post headline, I thought to myself, "Llamas? Llamas are coming?? What?!" LOL!
My pagan friend never explained Lammas to me, but I'll definitely check that out...
She said something about going to a festival sometime soon, connection maybe? She had a name for it, but it wasn't Lammas.
I love those ideas to celebrate with, by the way!
Llamas! That made me laugh!
Nikki, did she maybe call it Lughnasadh?
Or there is a big one coming in October called Samhain (Sow in)?
I've got an upcoming article on The Modern Pagan with a very simple ritual for those of us who are super busy and don't always get a chance to do a formal ritual. Keep an eye out!
Lammas is coming fast, isn't it? I'm excited!
Thanks for the great list!
I've learned about Samhain, but I've never heard of Lammas.
More to learn everyday:)
Whoo! I'm looking forward to Lammas. Last year I made a corn dolly, which I still have sitting on a shelf. I think I made my fairy house last year too, but it may have been the year before.
I'll be at the fair this year helping out in the ice cream booth and hopefully participating in the pig scramble. I'll probably make bread on Sunday, though.
Wonderful post! I found your blog from your post on Auntie Di's blog. I was intrigued by your avatar and had to see more - LOL!
I think I have an electromagnetic imbalance that causes all yeast to fail in my presence but I will try one of the other suggestions on your list!
Robin
Usually a ritual meal outta the garden for Lammas. And while ale/wine/mead-brewing is a year-round delight for me, so is imbibing, so that's generally part of the ritual meal as well.
I also invest a moment-r-three to reflecting on the "first" harvests from my garden of life as well. And I make conscious plans and efforts to RELAX in the waxing heat of the waning summer ... because the pace will start picking up very quickly ... very soon ... as harvests, preserving and other preparations for ::gasp:: winter make haste!
I'll be traveling over the holiday - so let me wish you - and everyone here - a blessed and merry Lammas of abundance!
Peace.
OMG!!! I purchase Llamas for my celebration and now you tell me!!! LOL
Love the list!!! I am a list person and into making it easy!!
I like the bubble idea! We do a lot of gardening and harvesting and bread making so got that covered.
I actually looked into getting a bee hive but to have it managed by a keeper it cost 600/year!! I'd love to have them but it's expensive to get your own colony.
Oh..Red Rover!! I haven't even thought about that game in ages. Thanks for the smile. Remember when Red Rover was part of every day? Wow..things have changed. LOL.
A couple more ideas to add to my list, too! Thanks! The summer is moving a little too quickly, though, isn't it?!
Oh thanks for the ideas! I tend to skip first harvest activities, other than harvesting haha. Maybe I;ll try something new this year
Love it!
What a fab blog!!
With the weather in this state, Lammas has more or less snuck right up on me!
Love this list. I may include some of these on the one I'm working on as well! :)
I am too just learning about so many things and can you believe my shcock and giddiness to learn that the date for Lammas... July31... is my wedding anniversary! I am really going to have to think of a very special thing to do to celebrate both :)
Thanks for all the ideas.
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