Wednesday October 04, 2006 02:57:04 PM -0400

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grainLughnasadh, also known as Lammas, August Eve, The Festival of Bread, Elembiuos, Lunasa, Cornucopia (Strega), Thingtide (Teutonic), is the first of the pagan harvest rituals. It is named for Lugh, the Irish Sun God. It is the festival in which Lugh is honored, also of sacrifice as the God-King becomes a willing sacrifice to ensure the success of the next planting season.

Lughnasadh is primarily a grain harvest, one in which corn, wheat, barley and grain products such as bread are prominently featured. Fruits and vegetables which ripen in late summer are also a part of the traditional feast.

During Lughnasadh the Goddess is honored as the Queen of Abundance and the God, the Father of Prosperity. It is a time when the Goddess is a new Mother. A feast of grains, breads, and early summer fruits and vegetables is held in the Deity's honor.

The threshing of precious grain was once seen as a sacred act, and threshing houses had small wooden panels under the door so that no loose grain could escape. This is the original meaning of our modern word "threshold".

From "Celtic Myth and Magick" by Edain McCoy