Lammas Pagan Harvest Festival Guide: Meaning, Symbols & Celebration

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Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh, is a seasonal pagan holiday and one of the eight sabbats on the Wheel of the Year. Celebrated around August 1st, it marks the first harvest festival of late summer. Rooted in Celtic and agricultural traditions, Lammas invites us to reflect on gratitude, growth, and spiritual transformation. In this post, we’ll explore what Lammas means and how you can celebrate it in meaningful, personal ways.

The name "Lammas" comes from “Loaf Mass,” an old English tradition of baking bread from the first grains of the season. The Celtic festival of Lughnasadh (pronounced loo-nah-sah) honors the god Lugh, known for his skills, leadership, and the death of his foster mother Tailtiu, who died preparing the land for crops. Together, these roots give Lammas a unique energy: a mix of celebration, mourning, and transformation.

Ways to Celebrate Lammas

There’s no single way to honor this sabbat. It can be personal, simple, or more ceremonial—whatever feels right to you. Some ideas:

• Bake bread or cook with seasonal grains to honor the first harvest.
• Create a corn doll or decorate with harvest symbols like sunflowers, apples, and wheat.
• Host a feast with foods like berries, squash, cider, and fresh bread.
• Light a candle or bonfire in honor of the sun’s waning power.

Journal about your year so far: What are you harvesting? What needs to be released?

If you’d like some help with reflection, I’ve created a Wheel of the Year Sabbat Journal Prompts PDF you can download from my Free Resources page. It’s designed to support your spiritual growth through each season, and Lammas is a powerful time to start.

Lammas Themes and Correspondences

Lammas carries a strong energy of abundance, introspection, and spiritual alignment. Here are some classic correspondences to help guide your ritual or altar work:

Colors: Gold, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Brown

Symbols: Cornucopia, Scythe, Pentacle, Sun, Fire

Foods: Bread, Corn, Apples, Grains, Mead, Wine, Squash

Deities: Lugh, Demeter, Isis, Odin, Hestia, Osiris, Pomona, and more

Crystals/Stones: Carnelian, Tiger’s Eye, Citrine, Amber, Peridot

Herbs & Trees: Basil, Mint, Rosemary; Oak, Apple, Hazel

Incense: Frankincense, Rose, Sandalwood, Chamomile

Animals: Horse, Stag, Fox, Cow, Lion, Squirrel

Spiritual Focus: Gratitude, Release, Reflection, Transformation, Prosperity, Ancestor Connection

Born on the Feast of the Angels: A Lammas Reflection

Lammas has always felt complicated for me.

It falls on my birthday, August 2nd, which should feel special, especially with all the themes of harvest, transformation, and reflection. But honestly, it hasn’t always felt like a celebration.

When I was a kid, the only person who ever really made my birthday feel important was my Nana. While my siblings got the usual one or two gifts, I’d get four or five. She used to say I was born on the Feast of the Angels, like it was just a known fact. I never questioned it, it felt true. Part of me still believes it.

After she passed away, birthdays stopped feeling like anything. It wasn’t about the gifts, it was the absence of love and attention. I was 12, stuck in a group home while my parents fought to get us back after being wrongfully accused of abuse. That year hurt in ways I still don’t fully have words for. Lammas became tangled with loss.

But over time, I started reclaiming this season.

Later in life, I looked into that “Feast of the Angels” and found something called Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula, a Franciscan feast about peace, healing, and forgiveness; connected to visions of Mary surrounded by angels. It felt like a thread she’d left for me.

Looking back, I wonder if my Nana was a closet witch. She would’ve never called herself that, she was very Catholic on the outside, but there were signs: crystals, rituals that lined up with the sabbats, and a cauldron in the yard year-round. She was always blending traditions, even if she didn’t name it that way.

Now, when Lammas comes around, I think of her. I think of how she saw something in me and tried to pass it on in her own quiet way. Even when this season brings up hard memories, it also brings meaning. Like any real harvest, it holds both joy and grief, and that, in itself, is sacred.

Final Thoughts

Lammas is a reminder that life comes in seasons, and not all harvests are joyful at first glance. Some are hard-earned. Some are spiritual. Some are still ripening. Whether you're gathering grain or gathering clarity, this sabbat invites you to pause, reflect, and honor your growth.

Related Posts and Services

If this resonated with you, and you’re looking for a safe space to explore your own journey, I offer Spiritual Guidance, Life Coaching, and Magical Classes sessions through my website. Whether you’re navigating trauma, seeking clarity, or simply want to grow into your fullest self, I’m here to walk beside you.

You’re also welcome to join my Facebook group for open, compassionate discussion with others on similar paths. Healing doesn't have to happen alone.

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